SPECIAL SECTION: FL BOG Establishes New Task Force on Degree Attainment
New panel to focus on Florida higher ed. access
MiamiHerald.com
The chairman of the Board of Governors on Wednesday added to the growing list of committees, task forces and other panels examining higher education in Florida. Dean Colson announced that his new seven-member commission will focus on access and degree attainment.
New Florida higher ed task force to push baccalaureate degrees
Tampabay.com
A new task force has just been set up to study higher education in Florida. No, not the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Task Force on State Higher Education Reform. Or the Board of Governors’ Task Force on Facilities Funding. Or even a soon-to-be announced Online University Task Force. This new group will study a statewide need for future baccalaureate degree attainment, Board of Governors Chair Dean Colson wrote in a letter to higher education leaders Wednesday. It will be responsible for reviewing the work of those other ongoing task forces before making final recommendations…
Board of Governors creates another study group for state universities
The Florida Current
This could be the summer of higher education task forces. Florida Board of Governors Chairman Dean Colson on Wednesday announced a new panel will be looking at how the state university system will meet its goal of issuing more degrees to more students in the coming years…
State University System
Marching 100′s ban sends a bad note to Atlanta Football Classic
Atlanta Journal Constitution
The extended suspension of Florida A&M University’s famed yet troubled marching band has the Atlanta Football Classic scrambling for a halftime replacement. The game, one of Atlanta’s biggest after the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, will pit FAMU’s football team against Southern University on Sept. 29. But many of the 60,000 fans expected at the Georgia Dome are probably equally interested — if not more so — in seeing the bands perform…
Analyst: Suspects in FAMU hazing case could avoid prison
WFTV Orlando
Most of the 13 suspects charged in the beating death of FAMU drum major Robert Champion may never go to jail, even if they are convicted of the crime, according to WFTV’s legal analyst. It will be another month before the suspects are arraigned in court. Eleven of the 13 FAMU students arrested in the case are charged with death by hazing, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Government ranks as top employer in South Florida
Sun-Sentinel
Florida Atlantic University ranks 9th in employment. “The government has a massive direct effect on local economies throughout the state through employment and payroll practices,” the TaxWatch report says.
FIU Owes $660000 to Isiah Thomas Because Being a Terrible Coach Wasn’t Just Cause for Firing
Miami New Times (blog)
Most of us would expect to get fired for sucking at our jobs, and Isiah Thomas’s 26-65 record as head coach of Florida International University‘s men’s basketball program makes a strong case that he sort of sucked at his job. Thomas, however, had a contract, and the contract didn’t mention anything about a lousy record being a justifiable reason for termination…
UF hopes new building breaks down walls between researchers
Gainesville Sun
The last metal beam was put into place Wednesday in the University of Florida’s Clinical Translational Research Building, but the walls inside are still missing…
Shands sheds light on atrium plans for children’s hospital
Gainesville Sun
The new entrance and lobby to the Shands Hospital for Children will feature a two-story atrium, University of Florida officials announced on Wednesday. The project will cost $8 million to $9 million and is the latest step in the transformation of the east end of Shands into a pediatric center, said Dr. David Guzick, president of the Shands Health System…
State College System
Pomp and circumstance: Politicians deliver words of advice to the Class of 2012
The Hill
Biden spoke at the commencement ceremony for Broward College in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on May 4. In her speech, released by the White House, Biden, a community-college English professor, shared three lessons she has learned: Lift others up, …
Matt Reed: Name change, ‘Texas model’ comes to BCC
Florida Today
New Brevard Community College President Jim Richey has moved fast, adding bachelor’s-degree programs, dropping in on classes and reaching out to business to plug students into jobs…
Open book interview: Candidates for Edison college president know what they’ll …
Naples Daily News
The nine candidates vying to become Edison State College’s next president will come into this week’s interviews well-prepared — they already know the questions. With that in mind, committee members will pay close attention to their…
Former Collier campus leader among 5 finalists for Edison president
Naples Daily News
A former Collier campus president is one of five finalists for the top post at Edison State College, but some question whether his history at the college should be seen as an advantage. Jeffery Allbritten, who left his job at Edison …
Finalist for Edison State College president withdraws
The News-Press
Peggy Kennedy, who was interim president at Minnesota State Technical and Community College, notified Edison that she has been offered the permanent position at her current institution. Although a search committee voted on the five finalists as a group …
Cost savings lost with college furniture
WZVN-TV
We uncovered Edison State College and Florida Gulf Coast University didn’t even check with PRIDE before buying furniture for two new buildings…
FKCC president ‘very close’ on contract talks
KeysNet
Jonathan Gueverra, tapped in April to become the sixth Florida Keys Community College president, is “very close” to signing a contract to make his new post …
Santa Fe Community College sues state to get approval for new …
The Republic
A Santa Fe college is taking legal action against the state in a bid to gain approval for a planned education center…
Independent College and University System
Florida Catholic school considers dropping student health plan, on heels of …
Fox News
The school, the private Ave Maria University, is voicing both moral and economic concerns. Like Franciscan University — the Steubenville, Ohio, school that just announced it is dropping student coverage — Ave Maria officials are opposed to the …
Tupperware CEO gets honorary Rollins degree
Orlando Sentinel
Orlando-based Tupperware Brands Corp. chief executive officer and chairman Rick Goings received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Rollins College during its commencement ceremony this week Goings, …
Mighty move for oak tree
Tbo.com
Workers on Wednesday move the 65-foot oak tree to its new home about 400 feet away on the University of Tampa campus. Worker Jarett Brownie secures the rigging as the massive oak tree is moved to its new location.
Yip Yap: Noted and Quoted FLHE Voices from Around the State
Opinion: Suspension of FAMU marching band leaves void, hope for better future
CNN (blog)
The Florida A&M University Marching 100 band is an icon: they have played at inaugural presidential parades and Superbowls, and been a source of pride… Dereyck Moore is currently employed by NBA digital and previously worked for CNN Digital. He is a graduate of Florida A&M University, where he was a member of the FAMU marching band from 1990 to 1994.
Letter: Governor’s cuts are ruining Florida education
TCPalm
You can thank Gov. Rick Scott for the likely closing of the Florida Atlantic University in Port St. Lucie. He has cut the university’s funding by $24 million and, even though Florida ranks 45th in the nation for tuition, he refuses to allow the university to raise tuition. Florida’s tuition is about $5,500 and the national average is $8,200… Judith R. Fleming, Port St. Lucie
Moulton: Why Big 12 move makes sense and how FSU can make it work
The Republic
Of course, Florida State University President Eric Barron is not going to be in favor of the Seminoles leaving a superior academic conference (Atlantic Coast Conference) for an inferior one (Big 12). He is a college president! — So he sent out a memo framing the argument over the weekend.
South Florida population booms, up 1.7% in year
Miami Today
Although South Florida, especially Miami, has large tourism and finance service industries, said Maria Aysa-Lastra, assistant professor of sociology at Florida International University, the real driving force is the housing market for baby boomers.
South Florida suffers from credit ‘hangover’ with record delinquencies
Miami Hurricanes (blog)
Many South Floridians will have to go through another couple of years of pain while they pay down debt, predicted Jorge Salazar-Carrillo, an economics professor who directs the Center of Economic Research at Florida International University.
Florida’s new election laws challenge young voters
Florida Flambeau
Dr. Carol Weissert, a professor of political science at Florida State University said that, because of the threat of fines to third-party organizers, such groups have halted their registration of voters. “Since the passage of this bill, third-party voter registration groups such as the Boy Scouts and the League of Women Voters are not registering people,” Weissert said. “These organizations are often responsible for registering many young people and students on college campuses. Because they’re not doing so like they used to, the ability of people to register to vote has lowered.”
No, thanks: Facebook resisters say their lives already fulfilled without social network
The Republic
Kariann Goldschmitt, 32, a music professor at New College of Florida in Sarasota, Fla., was on Facebook not long after its founding in 2004, but she quit in 2010. In part, it was because of growing concerns about her privacy and Facebook’s ongoing encouragement of people to share more about themselves with the company, with marketers and with the world. She says she’s been much more productive since leaving. ”I was a typical user, on it once or twice a day,” she says. “After a certain point, I sort of resented how it felt like an obligation rather than fun.”
New Pensacola Christian College President Shoemaker is ‘Keeper of the vision’
Pensacola News Journal
Normally soft spoken, the new president of Pensacola Christian College was once heard by a colleague to yell. The unusual outburst by Dr. Troy Shoemaker came as he jumped from a 75-foot-high bungee platform in Destin a few years ago…
As student loans grow, so does university leadership pay
Fortune (blog)
At public universities, the median compensation for presidents was $375,442 in 2009-2010, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education’s latest figures. The top 10 highest paid boasted compensation ranging from $1.8 million to $728,350, with Ohio State University president Gordon Gee at the top, followed by former University of Washington president Mark Emmert with $904,004 (he’s now president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association), Francisco Cigarroa of the University of Texas System with $813,892 and John Hitt of the University of Central Florida with $800,703. That’s way more than what many of today’s most high-profile public servants earn…
Foreclosures in Manatee tumble to six-year low
Bradenton Herald
A resurgence of hiring in the labor market also has fewer workers falling behind on their mortgage, said Sean Snaith, an economist with the University of Central Florida. “This has been a long process of healing for the housing market and it’s still …
Expert: Recovery slow but steady
Daytona Beach News-Journal
That was the good news delivered by University of Central Florida economist Sean Snaith, who spoke to a gathering of the Port Orange/South Daytona Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday morning. The not-so-great news? The pace of recovery will likely remain …
University of Florida grad starts promotion company to brings bands to town
The Independent Florida Alligator
Vishal Agarwala was tired of bands he loved not touring in Gainesville, so he started his own company to bring his favorite artists here. Now Garage Mahal Presents, the former Grooveshark employee’s promotions company, has booked close to 40 live shows …
In Florida, It’s Often Shoot First, Learn The Law Later
Daily Beast
George R. “Bob” Dekle of the University of Florida says Stand Your Ground’s “provoke” language is intended to prevent someone from “engineering” a self-defense case—that is, provoking an enemy into committing violence just to kill him…
It’s that time of the season to be aware of what slithers
Florida Times-Union
Snakes are active this time of year, and the dry weather conditions have an impact on how they behave, said Max Nickerson, curator of the University of Florida’s division of herpetology at the Florida Museum of Natural History…
Should you buy Facebook?
CNN
“Investors shouldn’t invest in any one stock unless they can afford to lose it all,” said Jay Ritter, professor of finance at the University of Florida.
CORRECT: 2nd UPDATE: Facebook Boosts Size Of IPO To 421.2M Shares
Wall Street Journal
“This is not surprising,” said Jay Ritter, a University of Florida finance professor who has published extensive research on IPOs. “When the offer priced gets bumped up, it is very common for the offering to not only increase in price, but in shares …
Iconic Cuban cigar goes un-smoked at home
MiamiHerald.com
“It remains a status symbol,” said Jose Azel, a professor at the University of Miami.
Stoudemire enrolls at University of Miami
UPI.com
New York Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire has enrolled at the University of Miami, where he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in general studies, UM said…
Miami has highest healthcare costs in country for private insurance
MiamiHerald.com
Steven Ullmann, a healthcare policy professor at the University of Miami, said Wednesday there are several reasons for high healthcare costs in South Florida, including an oversupply of equipment and services, and providers shifting costs to …
Justice wasn’t fair in Alexander case
Florida Times-Union
To Michael Hallett, University of North Florida criminology professor, such changes are long overdue.
FCAT Fallout: UNF Professor Weighs In
First Coast News
Dr. Christine Weber is a University of North Florida education professor who understands why parents are concerned. Every winter, she is part of team that hosts an 18-hour writing camp to tutor students for the exam…
Facebook IPO belies perils of collegiate inventors
Boston Globe
Though Andreessen beat the odds and eventually took his company public, Petr Taborsky, an undergraduate at the University of South Florida, wasn’t so lucky. After assisting with a university project that failed to yield results, Taborsky carried on in his spare time and discovered a method for treating polluted water. When USF asserted ownership of his invention, Taborsky retrieved his research notebooks from a university lab and filed his own patent applications. USF deemed Taborsky’s actions “theft” and pressed charges. Taborsky ultimately spent eighteen months behind bars, including two on a chain gang, for stealing his own discovery…
Boozing and buying
MyFox Tampa Bay
And retailers are taking notice, according to the University of Tampa’s Marketing Professor Erika Matulich. “I think everybody knows that when you have a special event and you do serve wine or other alcoholic beverages, people are going to be more …
Releases and Web Stories
Flagler College Associate Professor McCook chosen for New York acting workshop
ReadMedia (press release)
AUGUSTINE, FL (05/16/2012)(readMedia)– When Flagler College associate professor Andrea McCook heads to New York in June to attend the Actor’s Center, the teacher will once again become the student. McCook is one of 14 participants chosen for the …
Florida Tech Extends Special Military Tuition Rate to Selected Reserves …
MarketWatch (press release)
Florida Institute of Technology, recognized as a “military-friendly school” by GI Jobs magazine, has long supported servicemembers seeking to advance in military rank or to build upon their military experience in preparation for the next phase of their …
Get training needed for business success at IRSC
TCPalm
By news release – Businesses just starting out with a new idea, or those that are already established, have a partner with Business and Entrepreneurship Services and Training at Indian River State College. From classes on navigating social media for …
Lynn’s class of 2012 enters a world of possibilities
Lynn University
“You are empowered more than any generation,” said Peter Diamandis, chairman and CEO of the X PRIZE Foundation, to more than 500 graduates at Lynn University’s 47th commencement exercises on Friday, May 11 and Saturday, May 12.
University of Florida researcher to discuss shared use concept, childhood …
University of Florida
A University of Florida professor will participate in an interactive webinar discussion Thursday on how shared use could improve community health and combat childhood obesity. JO Spengler, associate professor and researcher in the College of Health and …
Harn presents exhibition of Alachua County’s self-taught artists
University of Florida
This summer the Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida will explore the thought-provoking work of artists living and working around Gainesville. The exhibition, “Deep Roots, Bold Visions: Self-Taught Artists of Alachua County,” will include …
Carolyn Mathis joins the Florida Venture Forum Board of Directors
MarketWatch (press release)
Ms. Mathis sits on the Foundation Board of the University of North Florida, where she serves as Vice Chair of the Investment Committee. She is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Jacksonville Women’s Business Center.
