November 20, 2008

Florida's Governor Gives Public Universities a Break on Tuition

Public universities in Florida got some good news today, from an unlikely source: Gov. Charlie Crist.

After years of clashing with university leaders, often over tuition rates, the Republican governor proposed today to allow the state’s 11 public universities to gradually bring their tuition levels up to the national average.

With tuition levels that are among the lowest in the nation, Florida’s cash-strapped public universities have been slammed by recent state budget cuts. Campuses have also struggled with growing class sizes and faculty attrition.

Under Governor Crist’s plan, which would require approval by the state’s Legislature to take effect, university governing boards could increase tuition each year by up to 15 percent above the required base rate for in-state students.

For example, the University of Florida currently can charge in-state students only up to $3,788 per year. Under the proposal, the university could reach the national tuition average of $6,900 by approximately 2015. That would bring in about $21-million in new revenue, said Steve Orlando, a university spokesman, that could be used for more purposes than could money from previous tuition increases.

“This proposal allows us to allocate the money to faculty, advisers, or other academic functions where funding is needed,” he said in an e-mail message. —Paul Fain

Comments

1. This will never get past the “how cheap can we be” legislature. Raising tuition in Florida is almost as difficult as passing an income tax. The legislature thinks the faculty should all be teaching 15 hours per semester and earning half as much. Last person to leave – please turn out the lights.

   — Carl    Nov 20, 06:46 PM    #

2. The FL legislature is hard at work passing bans on saggy pants and gay marriage. But if they get their heads out of other people’s asses, they will realize this needs done, ASAP. The fact that Bright Futures’ scholars will have to fund the cost difference I think will tip the scales, since the state will not have to shoulder the costs of the tuition increase for its scholarship recipients. If this can’t pass now, as Carl notes, it never will. But I think the time has come, even for FL’s notoriously anti-education legislature…

   — kc    Nov 21, 12:16 AM    #

3. Don’t forget the community colleges. They are some of the most subsidized institutions in America and receiving more and more students. The community would be better off with higher tuition and higher financial aid. This would take the burden off the taxpayers, those who can pay will, and those who can not afford it would receive financial aid. This would allow for the community colleges to provide a better education to everyone in the community, leading to a better educated workforce and everyone wins in the long run.

   — BH    Nov 21, 06:41 AM    #

4. Welcome to the great recession Charlie! Yes, the cheapest of the lot days in Florida’s public universities is quickly drawing to a close. The Republican tax and spend money from real estate and sales is just not there, and will remain so for several more years at least.

   Adult students who freely opt the Florida higher educational services from the overrun land grant insitutions will also need to pay up reasonably, both in-state and out of it. There is no good third way financially at this time. Moreover, it’s hardly a cardinal sin to pay one’s fair share for a discretionary service – except in the minds of the bargain basement legistator’s in Tallahassee enjoying the comp life.

   Having the lowest in-state tuition in the nation for adullt student’s so that is can be shouldered on the backs of all OTHER Florida taxpayers has always been an ill-considered, backwoods goal, which has served none well for the greater good. Getting into the average range of higher educational cost is not a bad thing for several practical and sustainable reasons. Good luck and may the force be with you.

   — Thomas    Nov 21, 09:10 AM    #

5. Assume this passes the legislature. My guess: (1) Tuition covers less than half of the E&G budgets at Florida universities. Therefore, a 15% increase may add 5% – 8% per year in dollars (not inflation corrected dollars, assuming we continue to have inflation), to the operating budgets. (2) The legislature is strapped and will not provide even its current share (inflation and population size adjusted) to the Florida universities. Therefore, and alas, those universities will not get anything like the amounts mentioned in real increases to budgets. And in four or five years, if not sooner, they will be the whipping persons for the population and lose a lot of their hard-earned credibility with the public.

   Too bad this wasn’t done under better circumstances—say five years ago. Then it might have helped. I hope I am wrong, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

   — Dataman    Nov 21, 11:10 AM    #

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