<p>Florida higher education is so screwed for the immediate future. Lower tuition sounds good, but not combined with continued underfunding by the state. Look forward to fewer course offerings, more crowded classes, more adjunct and graduate assistant teachers, more dissatisfaction from students, professors, and Florida public university administrators.</p>
<p>Gov</a>. Rick Scott reshapes state Board of Governors - Tampa Bay Times</p>
<p>To give money to the universities, you must first have money to give. Florida’s not exactly rolling in money right now. </p>
<p>Tuition hikes are also going to be extremely unpopular. No one can really afford to have funding cut while costs skyrocket. Plus, if Rick Scott wants any chance of a second term as governor, he will have to make more of these types of decisions, so get used to them, unfortunately. </p>
<p>Besides, with schools like FSU, it’s not like the only aspect of college expenses that increases is tuition. Fees, housing costs, etc continually increase as well, meaning that those that pay the costs get hit with a double whammy.</p>
<p>Call me crazy, but I’d rather have a TA for some intro level class, and see FSU do well, than to see all the professors teach some 1000 level class that they don’t want to teach, when a TA is probably more in tune with how to teach that level anyway.</p>
<p>Call me crazy, but I feel that all state supported Florida Universities, especially both flagships schools, should significantly raise their tuition in order to become more academically competitive with those public schools around the country.
Currently, tuition at Florida’s state supported schools are among the lowest in the country. In my opinion, if FSU/UFL students and their parents are unable to afford the $200 per credit hour for tuition, then they shouldn’t be admitted. Let them go to community college or trade school or serve in the military.</p>
<p>I want my FSU to be a preeminent university…it takes money to get there. If I was willing to settle for more TAs, I would have gone to my hometown community college/state college.</p>
<p>I frankly don’t trust Gov. Scott. If he could get away with it, I think he would gut FSU and turn it into a vocational-technical school. I don’t like the new makeup of the Board of Governors with his millionaire bean counter appointees from rich areas Palm Beach and Naples. The new appointees have already stated they’ll do what the governor wants them to do–they apparently will be rubber stamps for the governor and not use their own good judgment. That’s not the way the Board of Governors is supposed to operate–the board is supposed to run the state universities, not Gov. Scott.</p>
<p>Too, Florida government is supposed to operate in the Sunshine. Gov. Scott prefers working in dark backrooms where no one knows what’s going on. What’s up with Scott talking UF’s president Machen out of retirement? What did Scott exactly promise Machen? Is UF going to get extra funding that FSU won’t. Neither Scott nor Machen have answered these questions publicly in the sunshine yet.</p>
<p>Sorry, I’m not paranoid, but I am concerned. I hope FSU gets more funding from the state and tuition is not increased. I won’t be pleased though if Scott doesn’t allow tuition increases while in the background he has his hatchet men gut Bright Futures Scholarship program in the next legislative session.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/college/article1270133.ece[/url]”>http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/college/article1270133.ece</a></p>
<p>Says Bernie Machen:</p>
<p>“But while the state of Florida has been a generous supporter of public higher education, UF has never been recognized as unique among the state’s 12 universities for the size and scope of its research mission.”</p>
<p>OK folks. Get ready for another “flagship” assault from the UF alumni in the state government. I hope President Barron is paying attention.</p>
<p>I don’t want anything to “hold UF back,” but any attempt at legislation that puts FSU on a second tier needs to be vigorously resisted. If we’re moving up, we need to do it together. There’s no reason why UF and FSU can’t be the UC Berkeley and UCLA of Florida.</p>
<p>Like I was saying…</p>
<p>[A</a> recipe for mediocrity in higher ed - Tampa Bay Times](<a href=“http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/a-recipe-for-mediocrity-in-higher-ed/1270156]A”>A recipe for mediocrity in higher ed)</p>
<p>Here comes the assault, Sweetheart Croc.</p>
<p>[Scott’s</a> exciting promise for the University of Florida – South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com](<a href=“http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/editorials/fl-editorials-gov-scott-aspirational-promise-20130115,0,2334300,print.column]Scott’s”>http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/editorials/fl-editorials-gov-scott-aspirational-promise-20130115,0,2334300,print.column)</p>
<p>Scott’s exciting promise for the University of Florida</p>
<p>Sun Sentinel Editorial Board</p>
<p>5:47 PM EST, January 15, 2013</p>
<p>For all his business prowess, Gov. Rick Scott gives us whiplash in setting education strategy.</p>
<p>His first year in office, the governor slashed the budget for public schools by $3 billion. His second year, he reversed course and added back $1 billion. This year, he says education funding will be flat, or maybe a little higher, depending on which day you catch him.</p>
<p>But — whoa Nelly! — look at the pendulum shift the governor just took on higher education.</p>
<p>While details are still sketchy, Gov. Scott last week promised to ensure the University of Florida reaches the ranks of the nation’s 10 best public universities.</p>
<p>This is great news for Florida, the nation’s fourth most populous state. We deserve to have at least one public university that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the best in California, Michigan and Virginia.</p>
<p>The University of Florida is, after all, our state’s flagship university. It commands the greatest research budget — $740 million in annual expenditures, compared to $230 million at Florida State University, $400 million at the University of South Florida and $109 million at the University of Central Florida. Closer to home, Florida International University reports $110 million in annual research expenditures and Florida Atlantic $62 million.</p>
<p>Among Florida’s 13 universities, UF also is closest to the Top 10 goal, ranked 17th among public universities by U.S. News.</p>
<p>If UF can break into the top tier, all boats will rise because in higher education, you’re known by the company you keep. If UF is perceived as an elite institution, it will help other Florida universities fight the bias that we don’t measure up.</p>
<p>To make it happen, Gov. Scott intervened, just as the UF board of trustees was preparing to announce a successor to President Bernard Machen, who had planned to retire after nine years.</p>
<p>So that you know, Machen has been pushing a tuition-hike agenda for several years. He notes only 10 states charge lower tuition. About five years ago, Machen helped lead an effort that allowed UF, FSU and USF to raise tuition 15 percent a year. It didn’t take long for the other universities to get similar increases.</p>
<p>What’s surprising is that also last week, Scott appointed five new members to the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the university system. Each faced a single litmus test: a promise to hold the line on tuition.</p>
<p>“Tuition rates have risen 71 percent over the past four years and graduates are facing unprecedented levels of debt,” the governor says. “We can’t continue on this path.”</p>
<p>Frankly, the governor is right. In a tough economy, too many students are graduating with unprecedented debt and an older workforce can no longer afford to get retrained. It hardly makes sense to increase tuition by double-digit percentages every year.</p>
<p>Still, the governor bears responsibility for the tuition hikes. Last year, he cut the university system’s budget by $400 million, which the presidents reduced to $300 million by raising tuition. In five years’ time, the state has gone from paying three-quarters of the cost of a college degree to about half, a big hit in a short period.</p>
<p>Among his peers, Machen has been a leader in the search for solutions. He has suggested charging more for degrees that lead to high-paying jobs, such as those in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. By contrast, the governor’s higher education task force recently suggested we charge less for these degrees. And the governor himself has suggested we charge students more if they want a liberal arts education.</p>
<p>So it’s a surprise that Machen agreed to stay. He says we’ll understand his decision better in a few weeks when the governor releases his budget.</p>
<p>Whatever the governor promised, it’s good for higher education in Florida. We hope it means reducing the ratio of professors to students, which has seen an ever-growing rise. And let’s be sure those are real professors, not adjuncts, who fill too many gaps today.</p>
<p>Given the politics of the university system, and FSU’s prominence in the Capitol, it will be interesting to follow the governor’s push to grow UF’s preeminence.</p>
<p>We will be rooting for his success. For history tells us that if UF can break through, the competition will begin for who goes next.</p>
<p>Ilovethe47 please explain. So you are saying that if I can’t afford tuition at FSU without student loans then I should not be admitted? Therefore, I am not worthy to attend because of my financial situation. My academics or passion for learning has nothing to do with my future, just how much money I have. That is an absolutely sickening statement. I guess hard work means nothing?</p>
<p>Time for all FSU supporters to write to their state representatives and senators in support of FSU. </p>
<p>We can never let up.</p>
<p>Join [Advocate</a> for Florida State](<a href=“http://www.advocateforfloridastate.fsu.edu/site/PageServer?pagename=deploymenthome]Advocate”>Advocate for Florida State - Advocate For Florida State) today!</p>
<p>CORRECTION - Register with the university website at Advocate for Florida State and educate yourselves on the issue. See the update.</p>
<p>Gov. Scott is a big help to UF…Scott might help UF lose its accreditation!</p>
<p>[Gov</a>. Rick Scott’s involvement in UF president decision under review - Tampa Bay Times](<a href=“http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/college/gov-rick-scotts-involvement-in-uf-president-decision-under-review/1271239]Gov”>Gov. Rick Scott's involvement in UF president decision under review)</p>