UCF only Florida public university giving stsudents a break on new premium on tuition, Orlando Sentinel

By Luis Zaragoza
July 8, 2008

Looks like University of Central Florida students are getting the best deal when it comes to the introduction of a premium on undergraduate tuition at five Florida public universities this fall. UCF students will be paying a 3 percent premium on base tuition compared to the 9 percent premiums on tap at the University of Florida, Florida State University and the University of South Florida. The only other school that currently qualifies to charge the premium, Florida International University in Miami, set its premium at 9 percent on Monday. That's on top of a 6 percent general tuition increase. So the actual overall tuition hike at UCF is 9 percent, and 15 percent at the others. UCF students are getting a break because student government and the administration worked out a deal to start the premium at a moderate rate instead of the maximum 9 percent so students have time to adjust. None of the rates should come as too big a surprise, since the concept of a premium on tuition has been kicking around for years.

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Budget cuts squeeze Florida State U students, CBS

July 7, 2008

Following the June 13 Board of Trustees budget ratification meeting, Florida State University has begun initiating changes in order to cope with the recent $32 million loss in state funding.

"We've come up with several ways to reduce expenses," said FSU English Department Chair Ralph Berry. "We've eliminated office telephones for all of our TAs and for about one-third of our faculty and we've begun to ration paper and photocopying."

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Local school districts brace for more budget cuts, WINK News

By Melissa Cabral
July 7, 2008

LEE COUNTY, Fla. - The Lee County School District is bracing for more cuts from the state.The Florida Commissioner of Education is recommending all school districts across the state reduce their budget by another two percent.

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Akerman Senterfitt's Sheila McDevitt chairs state university board, Tampa Bay Business Journal

July 7, 2008

Akerman Senterfitt attorney Sheila McDevitt was been elected the new chair of the Board of Governors of the State University System of Florida.

The board of governors is the constitutional body created by voters in 2002 to guide the university system.

McDevitt assumes the lead responsibilities on Aug. 1 and will serve for two years, according to a release from Akerman Senterfitt. She replaces as chair Carolyn King Roberts, who will continue as a board member.

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When will it end? Economic observers say Florida's downturn likely will last another year, Sun-Sentinel

By Harriet Johnson Brackey
July 7, 2008

Recession for another year, rising unemployment and $4.10-a-gallon gasoline, too? You might say this is getting to be difficult.

The questions now, at the mid-point of 2008, are: How long will these troubled economic times last? How far down will the economy go? And how many people will be able to hold on to their jobs while they wait for the economy to recover?

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Tax cuts bankrupt college educaiton, Central Florida Future (UCF)

July 7, 2008

"I can't guarantee you that there won't be some increase in class size. There may be some lessening of the selection of courses students can take as we focus, and there may be some low enrolled programs we begin to phase out."

Those were the words of Terry Hickey, UCF provost and executive vice president, on the possible impact that the recently announced budget cuts may have.

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Reaching 50,000 could hurt with tight UCF budget, Orlando Sentinel

July 6, 2008

The University of Central Florida's enrollment will reach 50,000 this fall, but that's hardly cause to celebrate.

State-mandated budget cuts of $11.4 million will force that larger student body into crowded classrooms. There will be fewer courses and fewer instructors.

Bigger isn't always better -- particularly if the money isn't there to support it.

UCF is already looking to turn away as many as 300 transfer students from schools outside Central Florida. UCF ought to reconsider its policy of automatically accepting transfers from Valencia, Seminole, Brevard and Lake-Sumter community colleges.

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USF St. Petersburg expects to retain accreditation, St. Petersburg Times

By Ron Matus
July 5, 2008

Imagine juggling eggs, on a unicycle, in the rain.

In the past few years, the University of South Florida St. Petersburg has been on that kind of impossibly wild ride.

Driven by political pressure and its own feisty ambition, the once-sleepy school that bridges downtown St. Petersburg and Tampa Bay has reinvented itself. Since 2001, when it set out to earn separate accreditation from the main campus in Tampa, USF St. Petersburg has hired scores of new faculty members, enrolled thousands of students and revamped its academic and administrative structures.

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The lady is a champ, Tampa Tribune

July 4, 2008

For most of the past 20 years, Carolyn Roberts has helped oversee Florida's university system. She has fought plenty of battles, but always on the side of what she thought was best for Florida's students.

Roberts' term as chairwoman of the Board of Governors ended the other day, and she turned the reigns over to another no-nonsense, eagle-eyed advocate for a thriving university system, Sheila McDevitt of Tampa. Roberts will remain a member of the Board of Governors until at least 2010.

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Local universities will lose $20 million to budget cuts, Tallahassee Democrat

By Angeline J. Taylor
July 4, 2008

Nearly $20 million destined for Florida State and Florida A&M universities will not get to either institution because of recently announced plans to withhold dollars to state agencies due to budget cuts.

Jerry McDaniel, director of the office of policy and budget in the governor's office, sent word out in late June via memo to state agencies.

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The State of Florida's Educaction System, WMNF

July 3, 2008

To hear host Rob Lorei's interview with the president of Florida Education Association, Andy Ford, click here.

FGCU boasts freshman wait list, News-Press (Ft. Myers)

By Dave Breitenstein
July 3, 2008

Two years ago, Kristina Drake completed eighth grade.
Now, she's touring colleges.

Drake, 16, spent Wednesday on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University, learning about its history and academic programs. She's young, part of an emerging trend in Florida's university system in which prospective students scour college campuses long before they're forced to settle on one school.

"It's good to be prepared," said Drake, who'll be a junior at Lyman High School in Central Florida in the fall. "I'd really like to know ahead of time what I will be doing."

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50,000 UCF students face staff, class cuts, Orlando Sentinel

By Luis Zaragoza
July 3, 2008

With enrollment expected to hit the 50,000 milestone this fall, the University of Central Florida warned Wednesday that state-ordered budget cuts will mean fewer instructors, fewer courses and more crowded classrooms.

The cuts are forcing UCF to trim spending by $11.4 million this year.

Florida falls behind in tech race with short-sighted investment, Tampa Tribune

July 3, 2008

Florida's state and local governments have given away more than $1 billion in incentives to lure biotechnology firms to the state, but a startling new report raises serious doubts about the state's deep-pocket strategy. The grim fact is Florida is losing ground in the biotech race.

The Milken Institute's 2008 State Science and Technology Index ought to serve as a wake-up call to politicians who think offering tax incentives to biotech industry is sufficient. The report takes inventory of states' ability to build and sustain high-tech economies, evaluating 77 indicators in areas such as workforce development, education, technology infrastructure and research funding.

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UCF cuts budget by $11.4M, Orlando Business Journal

July 2, 2008

The University of Central Florida will cut its budget by $11.4 million and consider eliminating some academic and administrative programs.

The measures, announced by UCF Provost Terry Hickey Wednesday, were prompted by a $6 million shortfall in state funds and a move to create a $5.4 million reserve fund to deal with future state cuts.

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