Latest news with #UniversityofNorthFlorida
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Local restaurants seeing business boost from NCAA track meet at University of North Florida
Hundreds of college athletes from across the eastern half of the country are in Jacksonville, as the University of North Florida hosts the 2025 NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track and Field East Region First Round Championship this week. Local businesses say they are seeing a boost in business because of it. 'We do see a lot of kids coming in with the coaches and stuff, lunch and dinner,' Snehal Patel, Owner & Manager of Tikka Bowl and Tacos Southside location, said. 'We've seen a good amount of college kids because of the meet come in,' Top Israel, Shift Lead at Clean Eatz Southside, said. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] According to the UNF, this year there are 174 college track and field teams at the meet, with a total of 1,779 student-athletes competing. They tell me they are expecting roughly 6,000 people at the meet for each day of the four-day competition. The last time UNF held this meet was in 2023, and they report that the city of Jacksonville saw more than $9 million in economic benefit just from this event alone. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] UNF said it plans to host the championship again in 2027. Patel is already looking forward to the next one. 'We hope these meets keep happening over here,' Patel said. 'It's going to help a lot of small businesses like ours.' Day 1 of the meet kicks off Wednesday at Hodges Stadium. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
New penalties for using tracking devices like AirTags to commit crimes set to take effect
New penalties for criminals that use tracking devices like AirTags to help them commit crimes will soon hit the books in Florida. An AirTag is just $25 and is small enough to be dropped into a purse or tossed into a vehicle without someone's knowledge. Back in 2022, Action News Jax spoke with Jessica Egger, the mother of a University of North Florida student who was alerted a tracker had been detected on her car. 'It was petrifying. Think as the days go on, and we don't really have any clear answers, it's even scarier,' Egger said at the time. Last year, lawmakers made it a third-degree felony to track another person with devices like AirTags without their consent. Now, starting July 1, criminals who use the trackers to help commit dangerous crimes will face even an harsher punishment. 'Before you had this technology, you think about the effort that had to take place to stalk someone. Now, you can buy one of these things on the internet and have it sent to you and drop it in somebody's purse or drop it in their car in a matter of seconds,' State Sen. Tom Leek (R-St. Augustine) said. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Leek sponsored the legislation, which was just signed by the Governor. Under the new law, use of an AirTag or similar device to commit 26 various crimes like stalking, domestic violence, and human trafficking will carry the weight of a second-degree felony, which can land a person 15 years in prison. 'We're trying to catch it. We're trying to stay in front of it. And I think it'll do a lot of good for a lot of people, just simply because the technology is so readily available. It's so easy to misuse it,' Leek said. 'This is going to be the right bill for the time.' [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Leek noted most phones will automatically alert you if a Bluetooth tracking device like an AirTag is detected moving with you. He said if you don't recognize the device, it's important to call police and locate the device. Leek added it's also important to hold onto the device, so it can be handed over to police to help them identify who the device belongs to. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Forecasted foreign student drop catastrophic for US colleges: Study
Enrollment numbers at American colleges and universities will drop by 5 million by 2037 if international and immigrant students are not factored into the equation, which will dramatically affect the bottom line of institutions of higher education, a new study suggests. The study, released by the National Foundation for American Policy, determined that the number of undergraduates would be about two-thirds of its current size if its calculations involving international students are correct. Meanwhile, the number of graduate students would also plummet by 1.1 million students, which, coupled with undergraduate decreases, would be 'catastrophic' for many universities, an economist who researched the study determined. Madeline Zavodny, a professor of economics at the University of North Florida, conducted the study this year before the Trump administration began targeting U.S. universities for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and other practices that do not align with its mission. The administration has announced cuts of federal grant funding from institutions like Harvard and Columbia. On Thursday, President Trump blocked Harvard's ability to enroll international students for alleged violent and antisemitic practices. Students, faculty and members of the Harvard University community rally, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo) Meanwhile, international students at several universities have had their student visas revoked and have been taken into custody by federal immigration agents for a variety of allegations and earmarked for deportation. Although universities saw a slight drop in their international and immigrant student population during Trump's first term in the White House, those declines represent a 'drop in the bucket' compared to what is expected to come, Zavodny told NewsNation. 'It's a very abrupt, shocking change,' she said. Data released by Best Colleges indicated that during the 2024-25 academic year, 19.1 million students were enrolled in U.S. colleges, including 16 million undergraduates. However, who makes up those numbers has shifted due to the ongoing decline in the U.S. birth rate and the decision by more American students not to attend college. Based on those trends, U.S.-born students between 18 and 22 attending American colleges could fall by as much as 15 percent between now and 2029, the study shows. The bigger and unexpected surprise in declining college enrollments does not involve Americans. The Institute of International Education reports that 880,000 international students were enrolled at American colleges and universities during the 2023-24 academic year. That total represents an increase of 230,000 students (36 percent) from 2010-11. Meanwhile, second-generation immigrants, those students who were born in the U.S. to immigrant parents, rose from 15 percent to 24 percent over the same period. Students march at Arizona State University in protest of ASU's chapter of College Republicans United-led event encouraging students to report 'their criminal classmates to ICE for deportations', Jan. 31, 2025, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File) In 2023, the largest percentage of international students came from India, which accounts for 30 percent of international students at American universities. Another 25 percent of international students come from China, far outpacing international students from Latin American, Middle Eastern or European countries. Although the COVID-19 pandemic kept international students from coming to the U.S., numbers have recovered over the past few years, again fueling student enrollment numbers. Because international and immigrant students tend to pay full tuition, fees and room and board, the dependence on those students not only to fill seats in classrooms but to allow universities to meet their bottom line financially has remained necessary, Zavodny said. The Association of International Educators reported that international students studying at U.S. schools contributed $43.8 billion to the U.S. economy during the 2023-24 academic year and supported more than 378,000 jobs. US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Deputy Director for Policy Joseph Edlow (R), with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, administers the Oath of Allegiance to twelve candidates for US citizenship during a naturalization ceremony hosted by the USCIS at the State Department in 2020. (Photo by MANUEL BALCE CENETA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) Yet given the fire that both universities and international students have come under since Trump took office, Zavodny predicts that both enrollment and the financial outlook of U.S. colleges could take significant hits. On Wednesday, Joseph Edlow, the Trump administration's pick to lead the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, testified before a congressional committee that he favors removing Optional Practical Training programs that assist international students in obtaining work authorizations once they finish their education. Current OPT programs provide students with hope for a future of successful careers and residency in the U.S., Zavodny said, adding to the allure of coming to the U.S. on a student visa to study. Should these programs cease to exist, however, Zavodny believes the impact on schools' ability to thrive financially, or in the cases of smaller colleges, to survive, will almost certainly change. In addition, Trump's pledge to end birthright citizenship and to completely close the U.S. southern border could also factor into expected enrollment drops at colleges and universities across the board as international students reconsider their educational future. 'It must be terrifying to think that you could spend this money (to attend college in the U.S.) and that you could be deported without your degree, you could be put in jail for a long time,' Zavodny said. In addition to the expected base enrollment decreases, the study also found that if international students were no longer coming to the U.S., total undergraduate student enrollment would fall by 2 percent over the next 12 years. Under the same scenario, the graduate-level student population would drop 11 percent. Those figures will increase by another 1 or 2 percent if the immigrant inflow were to stop as Trump continues to completely seal the U.S. southern border. Additionally, if immigrants currently living in the U.S left the country, the undergraduate student population would fall by another 6.6%, and the graduate-level student population could fall by 12 percent, the study found. If U.S.-born students who are the children of immigrants elected not to attend an American institution, undergraduate student levels would see a 23 percent drop and graduate-level student populations would fall by 16 percent by 2037. With the decline in international students expected to last for more than a decade and beyond when Trump leaves office, Zavodny said colleges and universities may need to adjust their enrollment practices and admit students they may not have even a decade ago. If they do not, based on current trends and the time it may take for international student populations to rebound, the long-term impact for these institutions could be bleak, Zavodny said. 'It's going to be big and it's going to be adverse for a whole lot of schools,' she added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Forecasted foreign student drop catastrophic for US colleges: Study
Enrollment numbers at American colleges and universities will drop by 5 million by 2037 if international and immigrant students are not factored into the equation, which will dramatically affect the bottom line of institutions of higher education, a new study suggests. The study, released by the National Foundation for American Policy, determined that the number of undergraduates would be about two-thirds of its current size if its calculations involving international students are correct. Meanwhile, the number of graduate students would also plummet by 1.1 million students, which, coupled with undergraduate decreases, would be 'catastrophic' for many universities, an economist who researched the study determined. Madeline Zavodny, a professor of economics at the University of North Florida, conducted the study this year before the Trump administration began targeting U.S. universities for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and other practices that do not align with its mission. The administration has announced cuts of federal grant funding from institutions like Harvard and Columbia. On Thursday, President Trump blocked Harvard's ability to enroll international students for alleged violent and antisemitic practices. Students, faculty and members of the Harvard University community rally, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo) Meanwhile, international students at several universities have had their student visas revoked and have been taken into custody by federal immigration agents for a variety of allegations and earmarked for deportation. Although universities saw a slight drop in their international and immigrant student population during Trump's first term in the White House, those declines represent a 'drop in the bucket' compared to what is expected to come, Zavodny told NewsNation. 'It's a very abrupt, shocking change,' she said. Data released by Best Colleges indicated that during the 2024-25 academic year, 19.1 million students were enrolled in U.S. colleges, including 16 million undergraduates. However, who makes up those numbers has shifted due to the ongoing decline in the U.S. birth rate and the decision by more American students not to attend college. Based on those trends, U.S.-born students between 18 and 22 attending American colleges could fall by as much as 15 percent between now and 2029, the study shows. The bigger and unexpected surprise in declining college enrollments does not involve Americans. The Institute of International Education reports that 880,000 international students were enrolled at American colleges and universities during the 2023-24 academic year. That total represents an increase of 230,000 students (36 percent) from 2010-11. Meanwhile, second-generation immigrants, those students who were born in the U.S. to immigrant parents, rose from 15 percent to 24 percent over the same period. Students march at Arizona State University in protest of ASU's chapter of College Republicans United-led event encouraging students to report 'their criminal classmates to ICE for deportations', Jan. 31, 2025, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File) In 2023, the largest percentage of international students came from India, which accounts for 30 percent of international students at American universities. Another 25 percent of international students come from China, far outpacing international students from Latin American, Middle Eastern or European countries. Although the COVID-19 pandemic kept international students from coming to the U.S., numbers have recovered over the past few years, again fueling student enrollment numbers. Because international and immigrant students tend to pay full tuition, fees and room and board, the dependence on those students not only to fill seats in classrooms but to allow universities to meet their bottom line financially has remained necessary, Zavodny said. The Association of International Educators reported that international students studying at U.S. schools contributed $43.8 billion to the U.S. economy during the 2023-24 academic year and supported more than 378,000 jobs. US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Deputy Director for Policy Joseph Edlow (R), with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, administers the Oath of Allegiance to twelve candidates for US citizenship during a naturalization ceremony hosted by the USCIS at the State Department in 2020. (Photo by MANUEL BALCE CENETA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) Yet given the fire that both universities and international students have come under since Trump took office, Zavodny predicts that both enrollment and the financial outlook of U.S. colleges could take significant hits. On Wednesday, Joseph Edlow, the Trump administration's pick to lead the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, testified before a congressional committee that he favors removing Optional Practical Training programs that assist international students in obtaining work authorizations once they finish their education. Current OPT programs provide students with hope for a future of successful careers and residency in the U.S., Zavodny said, adding to the allure of coming to the U.S. on a student visa to study. Should these programs cease to exist, however, Zavodny believes the impact on schools' ability to thrive financially, or in the cases of smaller colleges, to survive, will almost certainly change. In addition, Trump's pledge to end birthright citizenship and to completely close the U.S. southern border could also factor into expected enrollment drops at colleges and universities across the board as international students reconsider their educational future. 'It must be terrifying to think that you could spend this money (to attend college in the U.S.) and that you could be deported without your degree, you could be put in jail for a long time,' Zavodny said. In addition to the expected base enrollment decreases, the study also found that if international students were no longer coming to the U.S., total undergraduate student enrollment would fall by 2 percent over the next 12 years. Under the same scenario, the graduate-level student population would drop 11 percent. Those figures will increase by another 1 or 2 percent if the immigrant inflow were to stop as Trump continues to completely seal the U.S. southern border. Additionally, if immigrants currently living in the U.S left the country, the undergraduate student population would fall by another 6.6%, and the graduate-level student population could fall by 12 percent, the study found. If U.S.-born students who are the children of immigrants elected not to attend an American institution, undergraduate student levels would see a 23 percent drop and graduate-level student populations would fall by 16 percent by 2037. With the decline in international students expected to last for more than a decade and beyond when Trump leaves office, Zavodny said colleges and universities may need to adjust their enrollment practices and admit students they may not have even a decade ago. If they do not, based on current trends and the time it may take for international student populations to rebound, the long-term impact for these institutions could be bleak, Zavodny said. 'It's going to be big and it's going to be adverse for a whole lot of schools,' she added.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida education leader reacts to President Trump's executive order targeting college accreditation
The latest development in the Trump administration's efforts to reshape higher education nationwide came Wednesday night. President Donald Trump signed an executive order into law that aims to 'hold higher education accreditors accountable, including through denial, monitoring, suspension, or termination for poor performance or violations to the federal Civil Rights Act.' Essentially, the administration is looking to more strictly evaluate federal funding for universities across the nation. Andrew Spar, the President of the Florida Education Association, told Action News Jax Thursday he feels this is a slippery slope to funding cuts across local universities. 'We've already seen programs in Florida be targeted in federal cuts. We've seen it at the University of North Florida, University of Florida, [and] Florida State University,' Spar said. 'So when Florida universities, which rank among the best in the nation, are being shortchanged just like so many other universities, it's really gonna be concerning for our students, for those universities, and for the work they do every day.' [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] The order, however, also 'directs the attorney general and the secretary of education to investigate and terminate unlawful discrimination by American higher education institutions, including law schools and medical schools.' Spar said this reveals the order for -- what he feels -- it really is: the administration's latest efforts to leverage education funding in the fight against DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion). [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] 'Our colleges and universities are set up in a way that encourages students to think outside the box, to look at things from different angles, to understand varying viewpoints,' Spar said. 'And the concern we have with what this particular executive order from the president may do is it may really, try to narrow those opportunities for our students and make the United States less competitive.' Action News Jax also reached out to the University of North Florida and Jacksonville University for statements on the executive order and its possible impacts on their operations and programs. We are waiting to hear back. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
