Despite cuts to Fla.'s state universities, private school tuition aid may rise, The Ledger (Lakeland)

January 25, 2009
By Joe Follick


TALLAHASSEE Even with Florida’s 11 public universities laying off staff and limiting enrollment, the state will spend more than $90 million this year to help residents attend private colleges.

The Florida Resident Access Grant program, better known as “FRAG,” was created in 1979. The goal was to keep Floridians who were considering out-of-state private schools and help provide options beyond public universities.

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Law schools dealing with budget cuts, American Lawyer

January 19, 2009
By Karen Sloan

JoAnne Epps got the bad news in September.

Instead of an expected 1% budget increase, the dean of the Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law learned that she would need to cut about 2% of the budget for the current academic year. The reductions were necessary because the Pennsylvania government — facing a major budget shortfall — was preparing to cut funding to the university by more than 4%.

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Budget reductions spare private schools--for now, The Ledger (Lakeland)

January 19, 2009
By Cary McMullen


Private colleges in Polk County will not suffer any immediate ill effects from state budget cuts made recently at a special session of the Florida Legislature.

But college administrators fear that $11 million or more in aid to students may be in jeopardy in next year's budget.

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Private colleges: protect the future, Times Union

December 18, 2008

The state's monstrous budget gap has put a fright into the leaders of Florida's colleges and universities. For good reason. It's a gap that could swallow up the state's future if too many students are cut off from college. Lawmakers recently learned that Florida will be grappling with a $2.3 billion budget deficit this year. That deficit, combined with declining property tax revenues and the continuing losses from stagnant growth and other problems related to the recession and the credit crisis, won't just hobble governments when it comes to providing basic services. It'll will hurt students' chances to enter the world of higher education. Of particular worry for the Florida Association of Colleges and Universities, a non-governmental organization that represents all sectors of the state's higher education system, is whether the Florida Resident Access Grant will be cut. The grant, also known as FRAG, is about $3,000 per student. It is available for qualified undergraduates who attend the state's private, nonprofit colleges or universities.

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Economic crisis squeezing colleges, universities, McClachy Newspapers

By Tony Pugh
November 19, 2008

Shrinking endowments, state funding reductions and families struggling to pay tuition are forcing many colleges and universities to cut staff and spending or to delay construction and development plans.

From well-heeled Ivy League schools such as Harvard and Dartmouth to large public institutions such as the California State University system, many schools are facing difficult financial decisions stemming from the nation's economic standstill.

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New report says Keiser University has $542 million positive annual economic impact on Florida's economy, Market Watch (WSJ)

October 8. 2008

ORLANDO, Fla., Oct 08, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Keiser University, a regionally-accredited, career-focused institution, has a $542 million positive impact on Florida's economy and helps meet the state's higher education and workforce needs, according to a report released today by a nationally-renowned economic consulting firm. Importantly, the report shows private, tax-paying post-secondary schools are a cost-effective solution for taxpayers and our state's need to develop world class talent.

The report by the Washington Economics Group (WEG), a premier economic and consulting firm headed by former U.S. Undersecretary of Commerce, Dr. J. Antonio "Tony" Villamil, provides a comparative analysis study of the costs of instructional programs at community colleges and public universities relative to Keiser University for similar programs. Commissioned by Keiser, the report also concludes that private, career-focused post-secondary educational institutions should be included in Florida's Higher Education Blueprint.

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