Check the new
WhoseFlorida for updates
This Is No Way To Choose A University System Chancellor
http://www.tampatrib.com/News/MGA7J6MS4ED.html
Debra Austin, now the assistant vice president for academic
affairs at Florida State University, may make a fine chancellor of
the university system.
But her appointment is tainted, if not illegitimate.
The issue is not the qualifications or character of this veteran
educator, but her selection, which flouted the state constitution
and the will of the people.
Shamefully at fault is Education Commissioner Jim Horne, who named
Austin chancellor even though Florida voters last fall
overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment restoring a
governing body for the university system. Gov. Jeb Bush also is
culpable. Both have ignored the voters' will.
The Board of Governors, which the constitutional amendment charged
with overseeing the state university, should have appointed the
chancellor. But Bush sabotaged the amendment by appointing to the
board political allies who refuse to take control of the university
system. His appointees include the woman who ran the campaign
against the university amendment.
So Horne was free to name a chancellor - and defy the constitution.
It is a disgraceful affair but one that is all too typical of the
Bush administration's high-handed treatment of the state university
system.
The governor spearheaded the effort to eliminate the state Board of
Regents, the 14-member, governor-appointed body that had coordinated
higher education policies.
Governor-appointed local boards of trustees were given
jurisdiction over each university. The state Board of Education was
given ultimate oversight. The seven-member, governor-appointed panel
was charged with overseeing all public schools, community colleges
and universities - an unwieldy arrangement unlike any education
system in the nation.
There was no secret about the reason behind the ambush of the
regents, which had angered Tallahassee politicians by occasionally
opposing their plans for their favorite universities.
The new arrangement gave lawmakers license to dictate university
policy and gave the governor loads of patronage power.
Thus, Florida quickly gained a reputation for a politicized
higher education system that repelled top scholars. Indeed, Horne
had difficulty finding a top- flight chancellor candidate willing to
take the job before he chose Austin, who is a former chief academic
officer at Tallahassee Community College.
State universities would have been rescued had the administration
complied with Amendment 11. The measure, spearheaded by Sen. Bob
Graham, called for the restoration of a state university oversight
board and 13-member boards of trustees at each university to monitor
most local decisions, including the approval of tuition fees and
keeping an eye on the spending of grant money. The 17-member Board
of Governors was to provide overall guidance, making sure there was
no wasteful duplication.
That kind of objective leadership is needed now more than ever,
as the state fiscal crisis is forcing massive budget cuts and
tuition increases. The popular and necessary prepaid tuition
program, which makes a college education affordable for many
struggling families, is in jeopardy. But Bush's impotent Board of
Governors offers no guidance.
Bush and Horne ignore the constitutional mandate and continue to
do as they please. Horne handpicks a chancellor yet boasts about the
state's innovative higher education system. In truth, the state
university system is in shambles, its reputation deservedly in
decline. And its future looks very bleak because of an
administration that refuses to acknowledge its university system
blunders or heed the direction of the people.
EDITORIAL, TAMPA TRIBUNE, Apr 5, 2003
|
updated
06/22/04 |
top
Plan would double tuition--
Florida's public universities should nearly double their tuition rates in the next decade to pay for expansion and improvements, according to a plan emerging in Tallahassee.--
Boosting the state's tuition and fees by 10 percent a year in the next decade would move Florida from among the cheapest average tuitions in the nation -- $2,600 a year -- to the national average, according to proposals surfacing in an advisory group formed to find ways to get more Floridians into college...
11/26/02
Florida university presidents campaign against class size proposal
TALLAHASSEE — The presidents of Florida's 11 universities spoke again Tuesday against a ballot measure that could force the state to lower class size in public schools. Representatives of the state's 28 community colleges and 27 private colleges joined them. Like Gov. Jeb Bush and other opponents, the officials said they supported smaller class sizes but didn't believe a mandate should be put in the state constitution.
10/10/02
Florida universities lead nation in 'pork'
By Larry Keller, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Florida schools received $117.9 million in special project money for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30.
9/24/02
Congress gives USF top dollars
The university and the state are first in a ranking of pork barrel project recipients.
9/23/02
Dramatic
Plan For Colleges On Hold
TAMPA - Florida Education Secretary Jim Horne acknowledged Friday he
will wait until after the Nov. 5 election to unveil politically
controversial college proposals, including possible changes to popular
Bright Futures scholarships and prepaid tuition plans. ... 9/21/02
Our
'education president' appears to see little dignity in higher-ed help
... Here's what George W. Bush said about that Monday while addressing
a $1,000-a-plate fund-raising crowd: :
"In the way they're kind of writing it right now out of the
Senate Finance Committee, some people could spend their entire five
years on welfare -- there's a five-year work requirement -- going to
college. Now, that's not my view of helping people become independent,
and it's certainly not my view of understanding the importance of work
and helping people achieve the dignity necessary so they can live a
free life, free from government control."
That's what he said, and it is an interesting view of what college is
all about. Never mind that it issues from the lips of our education
president. 8/2/02
University
of Florida stymied in its efforts to attract blacks
Recruiters of black students to the University of Florida continually
battle its reputation as a predominantly white institution with
admissions standards so high that it is nearly impossible to get into.
7/30/02
FSU
to sue smart-card firm
Florida State University continues to press CyberMark Inc. for more than
$1 million it thinks the company owes FSU after it stopped servicing the
university's multiple-use ID card. 7/19/02
Women's
quest for tenure is a struggle
For generations, professors seeking tenure at universities have been
evaluated on three factors: teaching, research and service to the
institution. 7/14/02
Restore-regents
group flush with donations
Sen. Graham's effort to restore a university system board has raised
more than $1.1-million. 7/11/02
Eckerd
endows FAMU pharmacy chair to settle marketing claim
TALLAHASSEE — John Newton was at an Eckerd pharmacy several months ago
in Tallahassee to pick up some medicine for his daughter and had to sign
a form saying he understood what he was getting. Being a lawyer, he read
the small print. He found that by signing, he was also consenting to let
Eckerd send him information through the mail about other drugs. 7/11/02
Teachers
union urges USF to restore Al-Arian
It's the second national group to side with the suspended professor
who is suspected of supporting terrorists.7/9/02
Education
union criticizes USF over threat to fire professor
TAMPA — A national education union has criticized the University of
South Florida for its threat to fire a tenured professor accused of
having terrorist ties. In a letter to USF President Judy Genshaft last
Wednesday, the American Federation of Teachers expressed concerns over
academic freedom and due process in the case of professor Sami
Al-Arian. Al-Arian, who is being investigated for a possible link to
terrorism, has been on paid leave since late September for statements
he made following the Sept. 11 attacks.7/9/02
Black
students still a smaller percent
The numbers of minority freshmen enrolled in summer school at the
University of Florida are up significantly over last year, but black
students are still a smaller percent of the class than in 2000, before a
ban on affirmative action sent minority enrollments plummeting. 7/8/02
Law
of the jungle-- The law of the jungle is that the biggest dog with
the sharpest teeth wins.-
In their efforts to turn the State University System into a hunting
preserve for political pork, Gov. Jeb Bush and the Florida Legislature
have applied the law of the jungle to the universities. More than ever
before, lobbying the Legislature for funds and new programs is a
dog-eat-dog proposition.-
With the demise of the old Board of Regents - which used to enforce a
degree of civility and cooperation among universities - university
lobbying teams are free to cut each other's throats in the competition
for scarce funding. And they are doing just that. 7/7/02
UF's
IFAS praised in report by watchdog
The draft report's positive findings may not be what lawmakers, possibly
considering deeper cuts, want to hear. 7/5/02
FSU
jacks up tuition rates
Taylor Schlairet's parents knew they would end up paying more for their
daughter's college education when she opted to leave Georgia to attend
Florida State University.7/3/02
Trustees
unlikely to evaluate Young
Monday marks the one-year anniversary for the boards of trustees Gov.
Jeb Bush put in charge of the state's universities, but none has yet
performed one of the boards' primary duties: formally evaluating the
president. 6/30/02
FAMU
board hikes tuition
Florida A&M University students can expect to pay 5 percent to 20
percent more tuition this fall for the same education. FAMU trustees
Tuesday raised tuition to the maximum amounts allowed by the state. 6/26/02
FAMU
agrees to pay new president $350,000 yearly - ...Humphries, who
left FAMU in late December to become president of the Washington-based
National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, earned
$183,000 a year.-- Gainous becomes Florida's highest-paid university president,
temporarily. 6/26/02
Gainous'
salary $275,000
Fred Gainous starts work Monday with a higher paycheck than other
public university presidents in Florida. Florida A&M University
trustees Tuesday approved a compensation package that includes a
$275,000 base salary. That sum tops the pay of leaders at the state's
other 10 schools, according to information from each university.6/26/02
Interim
chief charms USF faculty council
But some staff members at USF St. Petersburg question how the decision
was made. 6/25/02
USF
St. Pete, Genshaft Hit Another Bump
ST. PETERSBURG - University of South Florida campus leaders were almost done interviewing Ralph Wilcox on Monday
when President Judy Genshaft made it clear: She already had decided to
name him interim chief of USF St. ... 6/25/02
Florida
Atlantic increases tuition of graduate, out-of-state students
BOCA RATON — Florida Atlantic University's trustees adopted tuition
and fee hikes Monday of 5 percent for in-state graduate students and
10 percent for all out-of-state students. The cost per semester hour
for Florida graduate students will now be $147.67. Out-of-state
undergraduates will pay $302.99 per semester hour and out-of-state
graduate students will pay $469.20 per semester hour. 6/25/02
Genshaft,
ensnarled in parochial quagmire, can take high road
The roots of St. Petersburg's decidedly mixed feelings toward the
University of South Florida -- which is your state university and my
state university, no matter where we live around here -- are deep and
go back more than 40 years. 6/24/02
Graham
initiative may affect UF leader -- All the state's universities
have a lot riding on whether U.S. Sen. Bob Graham's ballot initiative
passes or fails in November, but perhaps none more so than the
University of Florida. 6/23/02
Tuition
to rise for USF students
The trustees' executive committee agrees on the increases, which must
be approved by the full board to take effect.6/13/02
Trustees
to decide increases in tuition -- The Legislature gave state
universities the power to increase tuition within limits this fall, and
the University of Florida wants to do so, bringing in $10 million in
additional revenue.--
The UF board of trustees will be asked this week to approve tuition in-
creases which, added to those the Legislature approved for all the
schools this year, would mean a 20 percent tuition increase for some
out-of-state students and a 10 percent boost for some Florida graduate
and professional students this fall.6/12/02
FIU
UNDERFUNDED
Florida International University, a growing institution that hopes to
propel itself to national prominence, is chronically underfunded, and
therefore undercut, by the state Legislature.5/28/02
Universities
face a future without state resources
Now that Florida lawmakers have approved a rewrite of nearly the
entire school code, there will be many changes in how the state's public
universities govern themselves and perform day-to-day operations.5/28/02
The
great debate-- Florida's State University System has been dismantled
by angry politicians who could not abide BOR objections to their schemes
to fund a new med school, two new law schools and other expensive
unneeded programs.5/24
Florida
Supreme Court: High court says Graham's higher-ed plan can go to ballot
TALLAHASSEE — A proposed constitutional amendment to create a
statewide board to oversee management of Florida's public universities
can go on the ballot, the state Supreme Court said Thursday. U.S. Sen.
Bob Graham has spearheaded the petition drive, which must collect about
half a million signatures to go before voters in November. Elections
officials have verified some 154,000 signatures, according to the state
Division of Elections; the campaign has said it has another 300,000 in
the pipeline. Florida's high court reviews citizen initiatives for
compliance on two requirements: The ballot question can deal with only
one subject, and it must be fairly and clearly explained by its ballot
title and summary 5/24
UF
officials unsure, leery of new student visa legislation
More than eight months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, officials
still don't know how new immigration restrictions might affect more than
4,000 international students, teachers and researchers on campus.5/22
Rising
College Costs Block Entry For Many Able Students - A new report,
``Losing Ground'' by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher
Education, found that from 1980 to 2000, college expenses rose faster
than family income, financial aid or state support and that students
were accumulating record amounts of debt to pay for college.5/19
UCF
bumps up tuition, other expenses- Out-of-state and graduate students
at the University of Central Florida will be hit hardest by higher
tuition this fall -- increases of 10 percent to 20 percent that will
raise annual costs for some students by more than $2,000. 5/17/02
Trustees
Are Poised To Raise Tuition
TAMPA - The annual debate over the cost of a
Florida university education is even more wide open this year, with Gov.
Jeb Bush and leaders at every school weighing how high tuition increases
will be. ...
University
presidents agree to open meetings to public
TALLAHASSEE -- The presidents of the state's universities agreed on
Tuesday to open their meetings to the public after a barrage of
complaints of secrecy.
Drive
for new regents takes hit-- State Attorney General Bob Butterworth
dealt a setback Monday to the campaign to establish a new board to
govern Florida's public universities.---
He informed the Florida Supreme Court by letter that he does not think
the proposed state constitutional amendment backed by U.S. Sen. Bob
Graham would meet legal muster.
Butterworth
troubled by ballot language
The attorney general has told the state Supreme Court there may be
problems with the language in a ballot proposal supported by Sen. Bob
Graham to again reorganize how the state's universities are governed.
Sweatshop
campaign by students comes to head
Wearing white shirts and red carnations in a show of solidarity, they
formed a silent circle around the Florida State University board of
trustees.
'Progressive'
group has mainstream support
Having the backing of mainstream campus government leaders is unusual
for a group that describes its members as "progressive," a
politically correct alternative for liberal.
University
politics
The ballot initiative being led by Sen. Bob Graham should produce a
serious debate over the proper oversight of Florida's university system.
Ordinary
Floridians
Now that official secrecy has become the modus operandi of higher
education governance, ordinary Floridians have little way of knowing
what deals are being made.
Open
higher education meetings
With no Board of Regents around to coordinate higher education issues
and referee disputes among Florida's state universities, it makes sense
for the presidents of these institutions and the chairs of their new
trustee boards to want to communicate with each other regularly. But our
education leaders should not take the state's restructuring of higher
education governance as a green light to move from the sunshine into the
shadows.
FIU
ralliers decry budget cuts
Carrying signs that read ''paper cuts hurt'' and ''show us the
money,'' more than 100 faculty members and students at Florida
International University's West Dade campus rallied Tuesday to protest
state budget cuts.
Bad
politics backfiring-- Giving FSU a medical
school shows what's wrong with legislative meddling.
FSU's
med school denied accreditation
Ruling 'a blow, but it's not fatal,' school officials say Florida
State University's medical school failed Thursday at its first attempt
to get a critical stamp of approval. "This is a blow, but it's
not fatal," said Dr. Joseph Scherger, dean of the new College of
Medicine. "I think it's going to strengthen our resolve to do
whatever it takes."
USF
president's decisions have stained the school's reputation
If you are looking for a blueprint on how to take an up-and-coming
research university and turn it into a handmaiden for opponents to
academic freedom, just take a look at the University of South Florida.
Since the arrival of its new president, Judy Genshaft, USF has been
the scene of two untoward decisions that have stained the university's
reputation so indelibly one has to wonder if a solvent exists that can
clean it up.
Presidential
arrogance
Florida's 11 state university presidents have begun to meet behind
closed doors because there is no longer a Board of Regents to force them
to adhere to the Sunshine Law.
Sunshine proposed for universities - TALLAHASSEE -- Top officials
from Florida's public universities may be forced to quit meeting
privately to discuss statewide policy issues under a proposal made
Monday at a Senate Education Committee hearing.
University
Leaders To Strike Back At Graham
TAMPA - Prominent Florida university leaders
say it's time they mount an aggressive defense of the state's new
education system and challenge the political icon who wants to undo
it: U.S. Sen. Bob Graham. ...
Protecting
speech on campus
The University of South Florida and Gov. Jeb Bush dishonor the ideals
of public universities by trying to fire a Palestinian professor whose
anti-Israel statements have produced threats to the campus and a
decline in contributions. Wartime is precisely the moment when
unpopular views and the role of a university as an open forum for
ideas must be most vigorously defended.
Talk
of censure hangs over USF
TAMPA -- The University of South Florida's reputation took a
significant hit when professor Sami Al-Arian's alleged ties to
terrorists were aired on national television.
Editorial:
Crusade for campuses
In a meeting with Gov. Bush more than a month ago, several university
presidents said the Legislature has not completed its job of
reorganizing higher education in Florida. They sought the support of
the governor and the new board of education in getting the authority
over budgets, tuition, fees and financial aid passed from the
lawmakers to the boards of trustees that Gov. Bush has appointed for
the 11 state universities.
UF's
restructuring
UF faces the biggest challenge of its history; to reinvent itself and
strengthen the institution in an era of dwindling resources and
shifting political realities.
University
officials meeting privately
Top officials from Florida's universities have been
meeting sporadically and sometimes privately over the past 14 months to
discuss and focus statewide policy positions.
Board
gives Lewis salary of almost $200,000, plus perks
The Florida A&M University board of trustees Wednesday approved a
salary package for Interim President Henry Lewis III. Lewis will receive
an annual salary of $197,500 while he leads FAMU. It's $58,234 more than
he was making as FAMU's pharmacy dean.
UF
may limit student entries
Just as demand jumps, the university's president and provost agree
that 48,000 students is too many and talk of cutting back admissions.
Editorial:
Demand for greatness
If there is uncertainty about what system will govern higher education
in Florida a year from now, there is no uncertainty about the fact
that the state's public universities face a recession-driven...
Editorial:
Mob rule at university
In the first hard test of academic freedom for the state universities'
new governing boards, the University of South Florida's board flunked.
It played to the mob. With summary justice, the board fired...
UCF
trustees content with small budget cut
University of Central Florida officials are revising their budget to
absorb 2.8 percent cuts this year following state budget reductions
approved by the Legislature in November. UCF's Brevard campuses will
only get a 1.7 percent cut
Editorial:
Free state universities from Legislature's grip
For obvious reasons, Florida's 11 state university presidents are
lining up against U.S. Sen. Bob Graham's proposed constitutional
amendment that would restore an independent board of governors...
Critics
of Al-Arian firing see parallels to segregation
We've heard this logic in the past, academic freedom advocates say of
labeling Sami Al-Arian a disruption.
Leaders
won't back petition
University presidents against return of regents The presidents of
Florida's 11 state universities won't be signing U.S. Sen. Bob
Graham's petition to restore the Board of Regents. The State
University Presidents Association issued a statement Wednesday saying
the system Gov. Jeb Bush pushed through the Legislature last year -
creating boards of trustees for each campus - should be "given an
opportunity to work." The presidents, who met Monday and asked
Florida Atlantic University President Anthony James Catanese to draft
their position statement, said the Legislature should improve funding
and give the autonomous boards full policy-making authority at each
university.
USF
will fire Al-Arian
USF's president ties the firing to breach of contract and
insubordination, not academic freedom.
Knuckles
bared for brawl over control of Florida universities
UF
trustees approve fee for freshmen
GAINESVILLE - Incoming University of Florida students would have to
pay a $200 deposit to hold their place in the freshman class under a
plan approved Thursday. The university's board of trustees approved
the fee, which would cover student services provided by the office of
admissions and the university registrar, Florida Provost David Colburn
said. The fee will now be considered by the Legislature.
FIU
chief gets hefty raise
Florida International University in Miami plans to raise its
president's pay from $202,000 a year to $285,000, topping the salaries
of presidents at the state's other universities. The raise for
longtime FIU President Modesto "Mitch" Maidique was expected
to raise questions during the two-day meeting of the new state Board
of Education, which started Thursday and ends today.
Presidents
say power must reside on campus
Now that the Legislature is done trimming the state
budget, Florida's 11 public universities plan to start lobbying
intensely for their top priority -- winning more independence and
possibly gaining control over tuition and financial aid.
UF
wants more international students
The University of Florida's plans to make its campus more
international could be hampered by Congress tightening rules on
student visas.
