To help state's universities, spread the money around, Palm Beach Post

December 16, 2008


There are two ways to look at University of Florida President Bernard Machen's decision to donate his $285,000 in bonuses to a scholarship fund.

The charitable way:

Dr. Machen has set a great example and put his own money where his rhetoric is. During his nearly five years running the state's flagship university, Dr. Machen has criticized Florida for offering too little scholarship help to poor students. The $285,000 will help young men and women who are the first in their family to attend college. Unlike the ex-chairman of Merrill Lynch bleating for his $10 million bonus after he ran the company into acquisition by Bank of America, Dr. Machen has put the institution before himself.

The less-charitable way:

For the rest of this editorial, click here.

Machen remains state's highest paid public president, Independent Florida Alligator

By Thomas Stewart
November 18, 2008

UF’s President Bernie Machen remains Florida’s highest paid public university president, but his national standing has slipped.

Machen’s total compensation of $731,811 in 2007–2008 made him the eighth most compensated president among public universities in the U.S. with at least 10,000 students, according to a Chronicle of Higher Education report released Monday.

He ranked No. 6 in last year’s report.

For the rest of this story, click here.

For a related story, click here.

State Board deserves say in presidents' evaluations, Tampa Bay Tribune

November 20, 2008

Today the Florida Board of Governors will consider a proposal to involve itself in the annual evaluations of university presidents.

It's not a popular suggestion among some presidents or local university boards of trustees, but it's needed if Florida intends to build a cohesive, well-coordinated state university system that makes the most of available resources.

University presidents are among the most important cogs in the wheel of higher education, but the current system allows them only to be evaluated by their local boards, a process that often doesn't consider how a president's leadership fits into the overall Florida higher education system.

For the rest of this editorial, click here.

Machen to student senate: Despite cuts, UF can still be top 10 school, Gainesville Sun

By Ayanna Steward
July 17, 2008

Speaking before the University of Florida student senate Tuesday night, UF President Bernie Machen predicted another round of budget cuts for December.

Instead of giving his prepared speech to student senators, Machen addressed questions from the senate that Senate President Kellie Dale read from index cards.

To read the rest of this article, click here.
For a related article, click here.

Why a president turns down a bonus, Inside Higher Ed

July 16, 2008

James Ramsey had specific goals in his contract as president of the University of Louisville, and he met just about every one, entitling him, trustees said, to a bonus of up to $113,857-25 percent of his base salary. In light of his state’s financial hardships and their affect on his institution, however, Ramsey recently decided not to accept the bonus. Now, a decision that some view as purely symbolic is being viewed by others on his campus as a show of solidarity in the midst of a university budget constrained by state cuts.

“At the end of the day, I asked to be treated just like everybody else,” said Ramsey, who will receive a $700 raise instead of a larger bonus, the same percentage all full-time faculty and staff at the university will receive as a result of this year’s 1 percent salary pool increase. “This was a tough budget year for us. I don’t want the attention to be focused on me.”

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Gators sinking in a swamp of secondary educational bureaucracy, Treasure Coast Palm

July 2, 2008

Departing University of Florida professors say higher education isn't what it used to be. Complaints about salary freezes and layoffs are rising in Gainesville, even as tuition is increasing 15 percent and President Bernie Machen remains in line for $500,000 in personal pay hikes on top of $285,000 in bonuses.

To read the rest of this editorial, click here.

Board of Governers discusses new model for enrollment funding, Independent Florida Alligator

By Kristen Huff
July 1, 2008

The Florida Board of Governors discussed a new model for enrollment funding at its June 19 meeting, and the model could benefit UF if implemented in the coming years.The current model determines funding for universities based on the budget from the previous year plus the number of additional students admitted, said Nate Johnson, the board’s executive director of planning and analysis.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Fight over control of universities resumes, St. Petersburg Times

By Shannon Colavecchio-Van Sickler

ORLANDO — The fight for control of Florida's public universities is far from over.

If Round 1 was this spring, when lawmakers proposed a constitutional amendment stripping power from the colleges' governing board, then Round 2 comes today.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Board of Governors want a say in choosing university presidents, Independent Florida Alligator

By Kristin Huff
June 19, 2008

When the Florida Board of Governors meets today, state university presidents and boards of trustees will pay close attention.

One of the hot topics on the agenda will be a new regulation that would give the Board of Governors, the State University System’s highest governing body, a say in the selection and evaluation of school presidents. Those duties currently belong to each university’s board of trustees.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Despite tough times, FGCU president gets raise, News-Press (Ft. Myers)

By Dave Breitenstein
June 18, 2008

Mired in budget cutbacks, enrollment restrictions and a partial hiring freeze, FGCU President Wilson Bradshaw left Tuesday’s Board of Trustees meeting in need of a bigger wallet.

Trustees awarded Bradshaw a 5 percent pay increase, or $15,500, raising his base salary from $310,000 to $325,500. Minutes later, trustees agreed to pay seven-twelfths of Bradshaw’s annual performance bonus for the seven months he’s been in office; that equals $35,000.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

For related articles, see Florida college presidents score high on pay, UF's Machen could become millionaire president, and FIU's rankings lead Maidique to early $50,000 bonus.