The Senate budget includes a $55 million reduction in remedial education funding and suspends $30 million in performance funding for the colleges. The House cuts similar amounts to other programs.
Higher Education
Legislating Free Speech on Florida’s College Campuses? Not So Fast.
A Legislative committee pondered on proposed legislation called the Campus Free Speech Act. Stanley Kurtz, a conservative academic, told lawmakers the measure would defend the right for people to speak their minds at the state’s universities.
Florida Senate Moves to Replace Tuition Billing By Credit Hour With Controversial Flat-Fee Plan
The dilemma: how to move to a block-tuition system without financially penalizing students while at the same time providing incentives for them to take enough courses per semester to graduate in four years.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide Ranked 1st For Online Education By U.S. News
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide has been ranked No. 1 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2017 list for best online bachelor’s degrees in the nation.
The Unnecessary Controversy Over “Sanctuary Campuses”
Even if colleges were targeted by the Trump administration, numerous privacy and legal obstacles remain before administrators would be enlisted in identifying students for deportation.
Enrollment in Florida’s 28 State Colleges Plummets 13.5% as Economy Rebounds
The actual head count of state college students is about 780,000 this year, down from a peak of nearly 900,000 in 2010. More than 60 percent attend part-time.
Thrasher, at FSU, Pledges to Kill “Campus Carry” Gun Bill Again As He Did in 2011
The so-called “campus carry” bill, which in the past has been approved by the House, has already re-emerged as an issue for the 2017 legislative session.
Bright Futures Scholarships Could Expand to Summer to Speed Up Graduation Rates
Only 44 percent of students graduated in four years at 11 state universities. Summer scholarships would encourage more students to attend summer classes, increasing the chances they can graduate more quickly.
Florida Universities Seeking $14.5 Million Extra To Meet Spiking Demand for Mental Health
Universities saw a 48 percent increase in demands for counseling and other mental health services, and an increase in emergency or crisis visits, involving issues like severe depression, acute anxiety and suicidal thoughts.
Joe Negron’s Plan for Florida As Senate President in Next 2 Years: More Elite Universities
Negron named the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Virginia and the University of Michigan, among others, as examples he wants Florida’s universities to be like.