U.F.s Faculty Union President Responds to Looming Budget Cuts, WCJB TV20

June 27, 2008


The cuts included hundreds of staff and faculty positions.

This week, President Bernie Machen told WCJB that no alternative proposals met the administration requirements of a six percent cutback in the budget of each department.

To see the rest of this interview, click here.

For related story, see Exclusive Interview with U.F. President

Cuts keep coming at Florida Atlantic University, Sun-Sentinel

June 25, 2008

BOCA RATON — Florida Atlantic University has spent the last year trimming its budget, and the pain may not be over.

The FAU Board of Trustees approved a $249 million operating budget for 2008-09 during a conference call Wednesday.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Florida A&M University has fixed most financial, operational problems, Orlando Sentinel

By Luis Zaragoza
June 25, 2008

Florida A&M University is close to solving all the financial and operational problems revealed by recent state audits, a special monitoring committee set up by the state Board of Governors announced today. "FAMU has laid the foundation to restore financial operational integrity and public trust,” said Margaret Lynn Pappas, a board member and chairman of the special committee, in a statement. The committee's final report will be released June 30. The committee's findings might sound familiar because FAMU President James Ammons told trustees about the committee's assessment at a meeting earlier this month. The final report will be sent to the governor, Senate president and House speaker as well as the Board of Governors.

With $50 million, Florida universities focus on renewable energy, University of Florida News Office

June 26, 2008

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — With the cost of gas and electricity rising seemingly by the day, Florida’s universities will work together on research aimed at boosting a largely untapped resource: renewable energy.

The Florida Energy Systems Consortium, created in the energy bill signed into law by Gov. Charlie Crist on Wednesday in Miami, will bring together the state’s universities to work on new solar, biomass and other renewable energy technologies. With the University of Florida heading up the effort, the consortium also will focus on helping new technologies succeed in the market — and on cultivating a workforce of graduates with expertise in renewable energy.

To read the rest of this news release, click here.

Energy Boost, Inside Higher Education

June 26, 2008

Colleges and universities across the country are struggling with major budget cuts, but a few states that are big on energy production are flush with funds.

Take North Dakota, where higher education leaders are so optimistic about the state’s economy that they’ve pushed for a 23 percent increase in recurring funds for colleges and universities over the next two-year funding cycle. That’s on top of the $82 million request for campus security upgrades, deferred maintenance and other one-time projects.

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State to Schools: Prepare for Worst,Tampa Tribune

By Linnea Brown
June 26, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - The rumored "2 percent reduction" may come in the form of a $3.3 million cut for local schools.

Nearly a month early, Hernando County School District officials received an ominous letter from Florida's education commissioner, Eric Smith, warning districts that they should have contingencies in place to deal with an expected additional 2 percent reduction in revenue from the state.

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First wave of UCF medical school applicants: 778, Orlando Sentinel

By Luis Zaragoza
June 25, 2008

Competition could be fierce to become a member of the inaugural class of 40 students at the University of Central Florida’s fledgling medical school if the first wave of applications is any indication. So far, 778 students have lined up to compete for the open slots, according to information UCF obtained from the American Medical College Application Service, the nonprofit, centralized application processing service for U.S. medical schools. It’s too soon to tell how many students are being lured by the promise of a free medical education worth $160,000 – a gift no other new U.S. medical school has ever offered its first class. Initial applications will continue to come in through Dec. 1, so the actual depth of the applicant pool will not be known until after that. Applicants include students from every large Florida university, school officials said. Among the other schools applicants attended: Harvard, Duke, Yale, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, Ohio State and Brigham Young.

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Who will stop Florida's fleeing faculty? St Petersburg Times

June 25, 2008
Gov. Charlie Crist's plan to buy hundreds of square miles of U.S. Sugar Corp. property as part of the Everglades restoration is an audacious attempt to make an enormous impact that would last for generations. Where is that same vision by state government for higher education?

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UF President responds to faculty union, TV20 WCJB

May 7, 2008

University of Florida President Bernie Machen responded to the claim that the school's budget cuts violate the Faculty Union's collective bargaining agreement at the Community Campus Council breakfast Wednesday morning. His message: It's too late to complain.In a room full of community leaders and deans from various colleges on campus, Machen explained why the proposed $47 million budget cuts and the elimination of 430 jobs on campus are necessary. "The only thing that's a little disappointing is everyone had the chance to have input," said Machen," and some groups elected to sit aside and not have input. If you don't have input when you're given a chance to, you have a poor position to come in at the end and criticize what has been done."

For the rest of this story, click here.

Diverse coalition opposes 'tax swap,' Herald Tribune

By Joe Follick
June 24, 2008

TALLAHASSEE — An unusual alliance is set to battle a constitutional amendment that would drop property taxes by 25 percent in exchange for increasing the sales tax.

And a separate group of businesses opposed to the plan is expected to challenge the "tax swap" amendment in a lawsuit aiming to remove the measure from the November ballot.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

States slow down spending growth, report shows, CNSNews

By Jillian Bandes
June 24, 2008

CNSNews.com) - A new report says that after years of increased spending, states are spending less than usual in fiscal 2008, and that next year their spending will decrease. Lobbyists for the states view the development as dire, but lower-tax advocates find it heartening.

This is a "significant weakening in state finances," according to the report, issued by the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) and the National Governors Association (NGA).

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Greater than the sum of its parts, Inside Higher Education

June 25, 2008

It’s been a bad year for German programs. The University of Southern California is eliminating its department. A graduate program at the University of Florida is alive, but facing an admissions freeze and future scrutiny.

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Search-and-rescue expert leaves USF, Tampa Tribune

By Adam Emerson
June 24, 2008

TAMPA - The University of South Florida is losing a high-profile faculty member to a Texas university that saw opportunity in Florida's economic misery.

Robin Murphy, whose search-and-rescue robots have scoured some of the nation's worst disaster sites including ground zero, is leaving USF in August for a job with Texas A&M University.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Caught off guard -- But Why? Inside Higher Education

Jack Stripling
June 24, 2008

When the bottom fell out, where were the disaster plans?

As the economy took a dive in the first half of this year, and states started slashing budgets, higher education leaders were often left scrambling. Unsure where to cut their budgets on short notice, university officials turned to predictable — though not always strategic — solutions:

Vacant positions went unfilled.

Tuition hikes were approved.

Enrollments were frozen.

The latest economic downturn, which has left a host of state universities grappling with major shortfalls, is part of an ongoing cycle of ups and downs that have a familiar feel in higher education. And yet, precious few institutions plan — at least publicly — for how to deal strategically with such budget deficits when they inevitably arrive.

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FAU exercised great care in budget-cutting process, Treasure Coast Palm

Letter to the editor
June 23, 2008

Florida Atlantic University is facing the tightest budget year in its 44-year history. The university has had to absorb a record-high $18.6 million in state-funding cutbacks over a two-year period, necessitating a detailed review of all expenditures. Very difficult decisions had to be made about identifying areas in which budget reductions should be made.

President Frank Brogan chose to take a collaborative approach to this process, appointing a university-wide task force to examine all aspects of FAU's operations. In accordance with the university's strategic plan, the focus of the task force was on preserving the institution's core function — the delivery of top-quality higher-education services to its 26,000 degree-seeking students. The proposed budget for the 2008-09 academic year achieves that goal while instituting departmental cuts university-wide, from the president's office on down.

To read the rest of this letter, click here.

Officials consider flat tuition rate at UF, Gainesville Sun & Ocala Star-Banner

By Nathan Crabbe
June 23, 2008

GAINESVILLE - University of Florida students could be required to pay for classes they don't attend.

A flat tuition rate would charge the same amount to all full-time students, regardless of how many credit hours they take. UF officials are considering flat tuition, also called block tuition, as a way to help address budget constraints.

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Florida education budget cuts still loom, Associated Content

By Iris Amelia
June 22, 2009

MIAMI -- The Board of Trustees at Florida International University agreed upon measures to cut 25 programs - majors included - as well as lay off over 200 employees.

On June 12, a number of degrees including dance, engineering and speech pathology were eliminated and will no longer be included within FIU's roster of programs in three years.

To read the rest of this article, click here.