No room at the Real Scandal Inn, Palm Beach Post

By Jac Wilder VerSteeg
December 6, 2008


How do you get people to care about higher education? Kill off Santa Claus. Or the Baby Jesus.

Florida Gulf Coast University President Wilson Bradshaw found this out the hard way. On Nov. 20, he decreed that Christmas decorations would not be allowed on any common areas of the Fort Myers campus. No menorahs, either. Employees could decorate their desks, but not outside doors. A greeting card decorating contest was canceled. The "Giving Tree" that collected gifts for needy preschoolers was renamed the "Giving Garden." President Bradshaw said this was the best way "to observe the season in ways that honor and respect all traditions."

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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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UNF raises await word on budget, Jacksonville News

By Adam Aasen
December 5, 2008
For months, the union for the University of North Florida's faculty has been working on a new contract with the administration, but its biggest issue - salary increases - is being put on hold amid state budget uncertainties.

Faculty members have been working under the previous three-year contract, which expired in the summer. Under that contract and since 2002, pay has increased, on average, more than at any school in the state.

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Tough times squeeze schools, The Voice (Oviedo and Winter Springs)

By Kristy Vickery
December 5, 2008

As steep budget cuts take a toll on Florida school districts, the cost of a quality education is getting harder to afford.

"We did a $700 million cut this year," said Joie Cadle, Orange County School Board chairwoman. "There's not much more to cut. We are down to the bone marrow."

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Legislature delays special session until '09, Tampa Tribune

By Gary Pinnell
December 5, 2008

The bad economic news just keeps getting worse.

Last year, Florida legislators learned the state would lose about $1 billion in revenue. Before they could act on that news, it turned out the state had actually lost $2 billion.

This month, they're learning that the 2008-09 budget year is another $2.1 billion in the hole.

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Educators to state: Put your money where your mouth is, Miami Herald

By Nirvi Shah
December 5, 2008

When Florida lawmakers say they care about the state's children, the president of the state school superintendents association has a quick reply:

``You lie.''

That kind of bold talk is needed, said association president Joe Joyner, in a state that pays the least in the country for its students' education.

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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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