The start of a new academic year is usually an occasion for hope and optimism in this college town. But with Florida facing its most severe economic downturn in decades, its state universities are feeling the pinch.
Last week state economists said Florida is facing another $1.8 billion revenue shortfall. Although Gov. Crist is considering using state reserves and money from the tobacco fund to help balance the budget, the prospects of still more cuts loom large.
That's especially bad news for UF and its sister institutions. As the Miami Herald reported last week, as state university students begin classes "they can expect fewer choices for majors and classes, more crowded classrooms, and a faculty that's being lured away by other states at an alarming rate."
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