State university officials take aim at slashing book prices, Palm Beach Post

January 25, 2009
By Kimberly Miller


Florida Atlantic University student Ed Fulton figures the bookstore let him off easy this semester - his largest single purchase was an $80 tome on environmental chemistry.

He still spent about $450 on books for his spring classes, and in the fall, he plunked down a titanic $150 for a volume on biology.

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A lesson in saving our schools and our children, Ocala Star-Banner

January 18, 2009
By Chris Altobello


On Jan. 7, the Marion Education Association, representing nearly 3,000 professional educators, presented the Marion County School Board our final appeal to settle the 2008-09 Collective Bargaining Agreement. This concluded many months of negotiations between the two parties, and ended with the School Board denying our minimal request.

We have since read several articles in the Star-Banner regarding the current school budget crisis. Some have attempted to spin our request as just another greedy effort by teachers to get a raise during these difficult times. Let me be clear: The MEA did not ask for one cent more than the county had already budgeted for this purpose, even after making cuts that exceeded the hold-backs directed by the state. My guess is that you haven't — and probably won't — hear that from the powers that be.

For the rest of this op ed piece, click here.

UCF, online school ink partnership, Orlando Business Journal

January 14, 2009

The University of Central Florida and Florida Virtual School are partnering on a new program allowing college students to intern with the Florida Virtual School.

In the 2007-2008 school year, the virtual school served more than 63,000 students in grades six through 12 through the Internet, according to a UCF release.

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University of Florida tuition increases are justified, Florida Times Union

January 2, 2009
Letter to the editor, from Kevin F. Reilly, Jr.

For years, University of Florida students have had the privilege of receiving a world-class education for one of the lowest tuitions in the nation. In fact, of 75 flagship universities around the country, UF consistently ranks 75th in tuition. While it's undeniable that UF offers an education that is as valuable as it is affordable, tuition increases are necessary. Our goal of being ranked as one of the top public universities in the world is simply not possible with tuition at bargain basement levels.

For the rest of this letter, click here.

UF president looks ahead to 'tough year' of cuts, Herald Tribune

January 2, 2009
By Nathan Crabbe


GAINESVILLE - From the standpoint of enrollment at University of Florida, the BCS national championship is happening at the worst time possible.

If past trends are any indication, the Gator football team's appearance in the game in Miami on Jan. 8 will cause a greater percentage of accepted students to attend UF. But state budget cuts mean UF must trim enrollment next year by 1,000 students, forcing the university to reject more students to make up the difference.

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Report: Athletes' Test scores lag behind class, MSNBC

December 28, 2008

ATLANTA, Ga. - Football and men's basketball players are averaging hundreds of points less on their college entrance exams than their classmates, according to a newspaper's study of 54 public universities.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution review found the biggest gap between football players and students occurred at the University of Florida, where players scored 346 points lower than the school's overall student body.

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Low marks on higher education, St. Pete Times

December 28, 2008
By Donald R. Eastman IIIThe three-ring circus of politicians, higher education and declining tax revenues in Florida is certainly entertaining, but it obscures the real issues of quality and access and further diminishes the confidence of taxpayers that their dollars will be used effectively. Consider:

• The absence of a statewide strategy and an effective coordinating body for higher education — since the demise of the Board of Regents — has been destructive of both public confidence and efficient allocation of tax dollars. Florida has spent more money on studies of how to improve the higher education system — many of them, including the recent Pappas Report and the 2004 Florida Council of 100 Report, quite good — than it has on putting those plans into effect. The current "forums" being sponsored by a few elected officials and the Florida Chambers of Commerce are a wholly unnecessary exercise. There are already plenty of good plans lying around; choose one!

For the rest of this op ed, click here.

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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Helping hire ed, Florida Today

December 7, 2008

Space Coast parents of students hoping to attend state universities with the help of Bright Futures scholarships should pay close attention to a tuition hike proposal that could soon hit them where it hurts.

The proposal — which comes from Gov. Charlie Crist — does this:

Allows the 11 public universities to raise differential tuition 15 percent a year starting next fall until Florida rates reach the national average, now $6,585. Average tuition at a Florida university this year is $3,800.

For the rest of this editorial, click here.

Higher education taking a hit on both ends, WOKV (Jacksonville)

By Jeff Hess
December 4, 2008

The recession is making it hard for parents to find the money to send their kids to college, but it is also taking chunks out of college endowments.

The cost of sending a kid to college is going up. A recent report by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education said it could soon be out of reachof most families.

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University of Florida becomes more selective; parents, students left outside looking in, Sun Sentinel

By Scott Travis
December 5, 2008

Many see the University of Florida as a school that has it all: top-notch academics, winning sports teams and great parties, all for a low price.

But as the school's popularity soars, a growing number of well-qualified Florida students are feeling shut out.UF once was a school most good students in the state could attend. But in recent years, even those with high grade-point averages and SAT scores routinely are denied admission. As high school seniors now wait for that letter from Gainesville, many are wondering why it's so hard to get into the state's flagship university.

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Bright Futures: College costs zoom, Jacksonville.com

December 4, 2008

State budget woes could mean some cloudy skies ahead for the state's popular Bright Futures Scholarship Program.

At the least, a $2 billion projected shortfall in the state's budget has put the program in play for a discussion in the Legislature about whether some changes should be made.

That wouldn't be all bad.

For the rest of this opinion piece, click here.

Higher Education scorecard stings Florida, St. Petersburg Times

By Donna Winchester
December 3, 2008

Florida once again has received mediocre scores on a national report card evaluating the state's colleges and universities.

While college enrollment among the state's 18- to 24-year- olds has improved since the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education released its first study in 2000, the group's latest report, which will be released today, ranks Florida near the bottom in college participation.

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For college-bound, new barriers to entry, Wall Street Journal

By Robert Tomsho
December 3, 2008

As public colleges grapple with reductions in state funding, the prospect of reduced access to higher education is looking more likely.

Florida's state universities, squeezed early by the slumping economy's effect on tax revenues, instituted a three-year cap on freshman enrollment last year. The mammoth California State University system -- with 450,000 students -- has announced plans to reduce its head count by up to 10,000 students for the next school year. Absent a boost in state funding, the smaller, more-selective University of California system has warned of a similar reduction. Enrollment limits are also under consideration in Tennessee and Washington.

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Education gets another kick in the teeth, Miami Herald

By Fred Grimm
November 23, 2008

S tudents spilling out of the FAU tower in downtown Fort Lauderdale didn't express much enthusiasm for the governor's tuition hike.

Not if ''that sucks'' means what I think it means.

''They're going to raise our tuition 15 percent. Does that mean the college programs will be improved 15 percent?'' Slavi Gorgoski asked.

For the rest of this opinion piece, click here.

Colleges prepare for a wave of vets, Palm Beach Post

By Kimberly Miller
November 29, 2008


Daniel O'Neal slides sideways into his seat in classroom TL 104 at Palm Beach Community College: sunglasses hooked in the collar of his Tommy Hilfiger shirt, three-ring binder with the words "Keys to Success" on the spine, and a half-dollar-size spot on the back of his head where more scalp shows than hair.

That's where the roadside bomb got him.

It exploded 10 feet behind the 23-year-old Lake Worth High School graduate as he patrolled in Balad, Iraq, cutting through his helmet and pushing his skull into his brain - like squeezing a pingpong ball until it dents.

O'Neal, an Army specialist who served two tours in Iraq, landed in this drab college classroom one year ahead of a massive new GI Bill that will send another generation of combat veterans to school.

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Scholarship program in legislators' looking glass, Pensacola News Journal

By Stepehn D. Price
November 27, 2008

The popular Bright Futures Scholarship Program could face legislative scrutiny next spring in the midst of a third straight year of state budget cuts.

Lawmakers have been slow to change Bright Futures, even defeating a bill earlier this year that would have increased Bright Futures grants to science, math and technology students, while decreasing awards to other fields

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Cheaper not better: Universities need tuition-raising authority, Tallahassee Democrat

November 23, 2008

Florida has to do something. It can no longer continue to charge the lowest tuition and required fees among the nation's public universities and be able to brag about the quality of education our young people are receiving.

It is regrettable — as are so many other instances where the unreality of getting something for nothing rears its ugly head — but Gov. Charlie Crist's unexpected call Thursday to allow universities to raise their tuition is essential.

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Crist to announce plans to raise tuition statewide, St. Petersburg Times

By Jennifer Liberto and Steve Bousquet
November 20, 2008

Bowing to the pleas of Florida's cash-starved state universities, Gov. Charlie Crist will announce a plan today to allow all 11 schools to raise tuition up to 15 percent a year.

Crist will reverse his stated opposition to higher tuition by asking the Legislature to extend the same 15 percent tuition hike that five of the largest universities, including the University of South Florida and Florida International University in Miami, could charge this year.

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Universities to revist limits on freshmen, Palm Beach Post

By Kimberly Miller
November 11, 2008


There may be more space in freshman classrooms next fall as university leaders debate this week whether to lift a cap on enrollment that was approved in response to last year's state budget cuts.

In September, State University Chancellor Mark Rosenberg said he wanted to maintain the freeze on freshman admissions because he foresaw at least one more year of budget cuts.

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