Latest news with #FloridaUniversities
Washington Post
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Three more DeSantis allies to take the helm of public universities in Florida
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The state board that oversees Florida's public universities has confirmed three more allies of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to become university presidents. It's a move supporters say will grant the schools the political capital to secure critical state funding and navigate a rapidly shifting legal landscape, and one that critics see as another sign that alignment with the governor's conservative education agenda has become a prerequisite for academic leadership in the state.
CBS News
7 hours ago
- Business
- CBS News
Out-of-state university students could face tuition hikes in Florida
Out-of-state students attending Florida universities could see a 10 percent increase in tuition this fall and an additional hike the following school year, under a rule unanimously adopted by the state university system's Board of Governors on Wednesday. Tuition hikes for out-of-state students would have to be approved by university boards of trustees and schools would have to maintain their current ratio of in-state students to out-of-state students. If increases are approved for the 2025-2026 school year, they would be the first tuition hikes in more than a decade for out-of-state students, according to documents distributed before Wednesday's Board of Governors vote. None of the state's 12 universities has raised tuition since 2012, and Florida State University hasn't had an increase since 2004, the documents said. Florida has the nation's third-lowest tuition and fees for out-of-state students, at an average of $21,690 in 2023-2024. That was about 28 percent lower than the national average of $30,140. Nearly 33,000 undergraduate students from outside the state — about 12 percent of all students — attend Florida's public universities. Roughly 25,000 of the state's 76,000 graduate students, or 33 percent, are nonresidents. Balancing financial impacts and educational access Board of Governors member Alan Levine, who proposed the increase, noted that "our total cost of a degree is one of the lowest in the country for students." Levine said in a text message to The News Service of Florida that the proposal would allow increases of up to 10 percent this fall and up to 15 percent in fall 2026. He said his "strong suspicion is it will end up being less than 10% this year as trustees try to minimize impact on current students." A hike over two years would give out-of-state students more leeway to plan their finances, Levine suggested during the meeting. Florida law caps annual tuition increases for in-state and out-of-state students at 15 percent. "We want to make sure we don't create sticker shock for students that are here currently," Levine said. Maintaining ratios of in-state and out-of-state students would ensure that Floridians don't lose slots in schools to higher-paying applicants. "We do not want to see universities raising their nonresident enrollment rates to increase revenues, particularly at the expense of in-state students," Levine said. Tuition increases approved by university boards of trustees would have to be shared with university system Chancellor Ray Rodrigues. An across-the-board 5 percent tuition increase for out-of-state undergraduate students at all of the state's universities would generate nearly $24.2 million annually, according to the document presented to the board. A 15 percent hike would bring an extra $72.5 million to the state. Tuition for out-of-state students varies throughout universities. For undergraduates, the University of South Florida offers the lowest per-credit hour rate for nonresidents, at $346.50. The University of Florida weighs in as the highest, at $707.21. The average statewide is $491.90. Debating compliance and institutional priorities Board of Governors member Eric Silagy tried to link the proposed increases to part of Florida law that says tuition for out-of-state students should offset the cost of providing education to such students. Silagy said three schools in the system — New College of Florida, Florida A&M University, and Florida Polytechnic University — don't meet the requirement. "I don't think we should be allowing the board of trustees to go up to the maximum 15% because these three schools have an obligation, not a choice, an obligation, to be in compliance with state law," Silagy said. Silagy, who has harshly criticized New College in the past, argued that schools where Florida taxpayers are "subsidizing" out-of-state students shouldn't be allowed to increase the number of nonresident students. According to Silagy, the state is spending more than $82,000 per student for New College, which has 802 students, including 90 who aren't Florida residents. As a comparison, the state spends roughly $19,000 per student at the University of Florida. Silagy's remarks drew fire from New College President Richard Corcoran, a former state House speaker who was recruited by Gov. Ron DeSantis to remake the Sarasota liberal-arts school into a conservative higher-education institution. Corcoran called Silagy's comparisons of New College to other Florida universities "odious." "When we, the new board, came onto the scene, here's the rhetoric that we were told: 'Be the Hillsdale of the South. Grow your prestige to what you were in the past,'" Corcoran said, referring to the conservative Hillsdale College in Michigan. New College is "just not like the rest" of Florida's public universities, Corcoran argued. "I mean, we took over an absolute failed institution, had it been not publicly funded, would have closed a decade ago, without question," he said. "The question is, do you want to build, for the Legislature and the governor, a world-class liberal-arts institution? If the answer is yes … we can't be graded or evaluated in that same context."
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida officials let public universities free up millions to pay student-athletes
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida's public universities can free up $22.5 million a year to compensate student-athletes under an emergency rule approved by a state board Wednesday ahead of a landmark legal settlement allowing schools to pay their players through licensing deals. The sprawling $2.8 billion antitrust settlement, going into effect July 1, allows schools to directly pay their pay their players for the use of their name, image and likeness. It's upending the way college sports have been run for more than a century and has sent universities across the country scrambling for new revenue streams in the hopes of gaining an edge — or at least keeping pace — in the rapidly evolving and highly competitive field of college athletics. Advertisement Public universities in Florida, which is home to some of the country's most high-profile college sports teams, will now be able to dip into the funding reserves of campus auxiliary programs like bookstores, food service, student housing and parking in order to cut checks to student-athletes. Under the policy approved Wednesday, the funds can be issued as a transfer or a loan. 'Athletic departments are already currently recruiting student-athletes for fall 2025, and they need clarity on the available funding to retain and recruit the best talent for their rosters,' said Alan Levine, vice chair of the board of governors, which oversees Florida's state universities. 'If the universities cannot react to the settlement immediately, there will be irreparable harm to the athletic programs and to the financial welfare of our institutions." Florida's emergency rule goes into effect immediately and will last 90 days, at which point the board of governors can reassess the issue. Other schools are also taking actions because of deficits in their athletic departments. Last week, University of Kentucky trustees approved a $31 million operating loan for the athletics department as it begins making direct payments to athletes. Advertisement Meanwhile, Louisiana is poised to hike taxes on sports betting to pump more than $24 million into athletic departments. And Arkansas this year became the first to waive state income taxes on payments made to athletes by higher education institutions. ___ Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Associated Press
9 hours ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Florida officials let public universities free up millions to pay student-athletes
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida's public universities can free up $22.5 million a year to compensate student-athletes under an emergency rule approved by a state board Wednesday ahead of a landmark legal settlement allowing schools to pay their players through licensing deals. The sprawling $2.8 billion antitrust settlement, going into effect July 1, allows schools to directly pay their pay their players for the use of their name, image and likeness. It's upending the way college sports have been run for more than a century and has sent universities across the country scrambling for new revenue streams in the hopes of gaining an edge — or at least keeping pace — in the rapidly evolving and highly competitive field of college athletics. Public universities in Florida, which is home to some of the country's most high-profile college sports teams, will now be able to dip into the funding reserves of campus auxiliary programs like bookstores, food service, student housing and parking in order to cut checks to student-athletes. Under the policy approved Wednesday, the funds can be issued as a transfer or a loan. 'Athletic departments are already currently recruiting student-athletes for fall 2025, and they need clarity on the available funding to retain and recruit the best talent for their rosters,' said Alan Levine, vice chair of the board of governors, which oversees Florida's state universities. 'If the universities cannot react to the settlement immediately, there will be irreparable harm to the athletic programs and to the financial welfare of our institutions.' Florida's emergency rule goes into effect immediately and will last 90 days, at which point the board of governors can reassess the issue. Other schools are also taking actions because of deficits in their athletic departments. Last week, University of Kentucky trustees approved a $31 million operating loan for the athletics department as it begins making direct payments to athletes. Meanwhile, Louisiana is poised to hike taxes on sports betting to pump more than $24 million into athletic departments. And Arkansas this year became the first to waive state income taxes on payments made to athletes by higher education institutions. ___ Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Associated Press
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Three more DeSantis allies to take the helm of public universities in Florida
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The state board that oversees Florida's public universities has confirmed three more allies of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to become university presidents. It's a move supporters say will grant the schools the political capital to secure critical state funding and navigate a rapidly shifting legal landscape, and one that critics see as another sign that alignment with the governor's conservative education agenda has become a prerequisite for academic leadership in the state. The elevation of two Republican former lawmakers and a lobbyist comes after the state Board of Governors rejected the nomination of a longtime academic to lead the University of Florida, amid conservative backlash against his past support for diversity, equity and inclusion programs that board members viewed as unacceptable liberal ideology. With the appointments approved Wednesday, five of the state's 12 public universities will be led by former Republican lawmakers or lobbyists, a move that will help bolster DeSantis' legacy in higher education that could long outlast his time in office. Leading a Florida universities generally come with a multiyear contract for a salary of at least six-figures and a plush on-campus residence. The process for picking these leaders happens largely behind closed doors, creating what the state's Republican House speaker has called 'a spoil system for a select few.' DeSantis' former lieutenant governor, Jeanette Nuñez. was confirmed as the president of Florida International University in Miami. Meanwhile, telecommunications lobbyist Marva Johnson was tapped to lead Florida A&M University, the state's only public historically Black university. Johnson was previously a DeSantis appointee on the state board of education. Manny Diaz, a former state lawmaker and state education commissioner under DeSantis, was picked to lead the University of West Florida in Pensacola on an interim basis, mirroring the appointment of Nuñez, who was first named interim president before getting the permanent job at FIU. Johnson's appointment, in particular, has alarmed FAMU students and alumni, who begged the board not to confirm her on Wednesday, arguing that she failed to meet the job's minimum requirements and that her requested salary far exceeds her predecessor's. Johnson's appointment has stoked longstanding fears that the HBCU could be merged with Florida State University, the predominantly white institution across the railroad tracks. 'I can't decide if her appointment is politically motivated, gross negligence on the part of the board, or just you guys wanting to get rid of FAMU altogether,' alumnus Angelo Pettis told the Board of governors. Board members defended Johnson, her credentials as a telecoms executive and her service on various state boards. Johnson addressed the concerns of FAMU students and supporters, saying she's 'ready to lead with boldness' and committed to working alongside them. 'I remain deeply committed to ensuring that the legacy of the university is not lost,' Johnson said. ___ Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
