SPECIAL SECTION: Gov. Scott and Higher Education

Scott talks about tuition and his re-election plans
The Ledger (blog)
Rick Scott said he remains undecided on a bill that would let Florida State University and the University of Florida dramatically increase their tuition rates. “I have drafts of both sides - a veto letter and an approval letter,” Scott said about HB 7129, which he must act on by Saturday. The bill would let UF and FSU lift the 15 percent per year tuition cap, allowing the research universities to increase their tuition to levels similar to those used at other major public research schools.

Note: higher ed discussion begins at 3:44

Scott won’t tip his hand on FSU tuition bill
Tallahassee.com
Rick Scott won’t say which way he’s leaning on HB 7129, the proposal to allow Florida State University and the University of Florida much greater autonomy over tuition. Scott has until Saturday to act on the bill. He can sign it into law, veto it or do nothing and allow it to pass into law without his signature…

Scott says Polytech “will pay off in the long run”, FSU/UF tuition …
WFSU
Governor Rick Scott says he thinks Florida’s new Polytechnic University will pay off in the long run. Lynn Hatter reports it was the Governor’s first public statements about the new school since approving its creation a few days ago.

State University System

FAU plans to close downtown Fort Lauderdale campus
South Florida Business Journal
Florida Atlantic University’s proposed budget calls for the closure of its campus in downtown Fort Lauderdale. The public university is preparing for a $26.7 million cut to its budget for the 2012-13 academic year. Most of that comes from state budget …

Florida Atlantic University closing Port St. Lucie campus
WPBF West Palm Beach
Students at the Florida Atlantic University campus in Port St. Lucie are coming to grips with the fact their pleasant hometown campus will be shutting its doors in July. According to a memorandum from the FAU president last week, FAU is proposing …

PolitiFact Florida: Is UF spending almost $100 million on athletics while cutting an engineering program?
Tampabay.com
Even the most die-hard Gators sports fan would probably agree: Giving the athletic program at the University of Florida close to $100 million while cutting an engineering program to save a little more than $1 million doesn’t seem quite fair…

UWF to get restaurant on wheels
Pensacola Business Journal
The Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St.- 8:29 pm The University of West Florida is opening a new, portable restaurant on campus. Bistro Blue will open May 14. It is an outdoor café that will feature jazz music, a deck and a New Orleans-inspired menu…

Plan unveiled to attract 1 million tourists
Pensacola News Journal
An ambitious new strategy to attract the rapidly growing cultural heritage tourism market to downtown Pensacola was unveiled by the University of West Florida Tuesday…

School yells ‘fore,’ eyes Scenic Hills golf course
Pensacola News Journal
The University of West Florida is negotiating to buy the Scenic Hills Country Club, an 18-hole golf course that lies just west of the 1600-acre campus…

State College System

Daytona State may add women’s volleyball
Daytona Beach News-Journal
The Daytona State College board will be handling other topics at Thursday’s meeting, including a recommendation to add a women’s volleyball team.

Edison trustees, former president Walker agree to $540000 settlement
The News-Press
Kenneth Walker will receive a $540,000 settlement from Edison State College, ending a contentious and potentially embarrassing legal battle over the longtime president’s dismissal. Walker also agreed to submit retirement paperwork dated Jan. 23, the day before he was fired, and drop all future legal claims. Neither side proposed settlement terms. Those came from a mediator, whose issued one final attempt at a resolution once talks broke down on April 13…

New Keys college president to be chosen Saturday
KeysNet
The Florida Keys Community College board of trustees is expected to select the small institution’s next president on Saturday to take over from President Larry Tyree on July 1…

Santa Fe will reorganize leadership to deal with recent employee …
Gainesville Sun
Marilyn Tubb is stepping down from her post as Santa Fe College‘s vice president of community relations. Paul Hutchins, dean of the educational centers, recently left to become president of a North Carolina community college. President Jackson Sasser, at an employee meeting Tuesday, announced a reorganization of leadership to deal with the losses…

Independent College and University System

Hodges issues economic study
The News-Press
Hodges University’s two-year Comparative Analysis Project — completed on a volunteer basis in partnership with the Naples Chamber of Commerce and Collier’s government — revealed 83.8 percent of wage income in Collier is derived from the private sector.

Construction continues on Lynn University’s major makeover
Sun-Sentinel
It’s impossible to drive by Lynn University’s previously quiet campus on Military Trail and not notice it’s now a hotbed of heavy construction activity. This is a $1 million-plus major makeover for the traffic light at Lynn and their front porch, …

Ethos Vegan Kitchen opening in Winter Park
Orlando Sentinel
Ethos Vegan Kitchen will open in the old Urban Flats on Fairbanks and New York avenues in Winter Park. Rollins College, which owns the building, said it signed a lease last week with Ethos, which currently operates on Orange Avenue near downtown Orlando…

Southeastern University’s Students Look at Financial Literacy
The Ledger
Southeastern University’s Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team has been tweeting, quizzing and diligently working to earn prizes as they participate in events that increase awareness of financial literacy.

Stetson set to move into new theater space
Daytona Beach News-Journal
The theater arts program at Stetson University is slated next week to take control of the theater space at the Museum of Florida Art across the street from the college. The university and museum signed a …

UM medical school cutbacks coming in May
MiamiHerald.com
University of Miami President Donna Shalala announced Tuesday that next month the medical school will take “difficult and painful but necessary steps” to reduce costs, including staffing, primarily in “unfunded research and …

‘Significant’ UM medical school cutbacks coming in May
Palm Beach Post
University of Miami President Donna Shalala announced Tuesday that the medical school will take “difficult and painful but necessary steps” next month to reduce costs, including staff cuts.In a letter to employees, she called the cuts “significant” but provided no details about how many employees might be laid off.

Yip Yap: Noted and Quoted FLHE Voices from Around the State

Voter law changes backfire
Sun-Sentinel
Last year, after lawmakers crafted cynical legislation masquerading as election reform, critics predicted Gov.Rick Scott’s pending signature would send Florida hurtling back to the age of poll taxes. This editorial board was among those. We were critical of the changes in our editorials. And we even sought to raise awareness of the potential damage to Florida’s electoral democracy in public events, such as a town hall meeting we organized last November at Lynn University in Boca Raton…

Our Opinion: Say yes – Governor Scott should sign tuition bill
Tallahassee.com
Gov. Rick Scott makes it hard to read his support for Florida’s state universities. He insists that any new spending must be tied to degree programs that will produce graduates equipped with the skills to match the evolving job market, where a focus will be on science, technology, engineering and math…

Editorial: Brown Center at Indian River State College impressive addition to …
TCPalm
Even by its own impressive standards for farsighted cutting edge technologies, Indian River State College’s Brown Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is something special. Recently dedicated on the college’s Fort Pierce campus, the $21.5 million …

Cerabino: With university boondoggle, GOP gets ‘A’ in hypocrisy
Palm Beach Post
On July 1, Florida Polytechnic University will take over an existing University of South Florida campus in Lakeland to begin its existence as a theoretical new magnet for STEM majors – students who want to major in science, technology, engineering and …

Letter: Let’s Come Together And Ensure the Success Of Florida Polytechnic
The Ledger
I am grateful to the University of South Florida for allowing the polytechnic concept to be birthed in Lakeland, but at the same time I’m concerned that the poly fight has harmed the relationship between Lakeland and our neighboring cities to the east…Ford Heacock – Lakeland

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Port St. Lucie charter high school signs lease agreement, prepares for August …
TCPalm
The charter school has signed a lease agreement to occupy the old Barry University building on the shared campus of Indian River Community College and Florida Atlantic University, said Erika Rains, who will serve as principal at the school…

Scott reappoints three to Edison College board
Naples Daily News
Rick Scott on Monday reappointed three Edison State College trustees, leaving one seat vacant. Trustees Brian Chapman, Marjorie Starnes-Bilotti and Sankey “Eddie” Webb will remain on the school’s board. The three, and Trustee Pam Seay, …

Consumer confidence falls again in Florida
Sun-Sentinel
“We had a subdued 2011, and I believe we are following the same pattern” with the economy growing in 2012 at about 2 percent, agreed Jorge Salazar-Carrillo, an economics professor who directs the Center of Economic Research at Florida International University.

More colleges vary tuition by major
Journal and Courier
“The key is we want to have highly ranked universities … you’re going to have to have a way to fund” them, Florida State University President Eric Barron said. “Would you decide not to follow what you’re most interested in if it cost $500 more?”…

New Florida law a political and business dilemma for Governor Rick Scott
Examiner.com
Bruce Rogow, a constitutional law professor at Nova Southeastern University believes the legislation is unenforceable. He has said, “If there is no federal law making it illegal to do business with Cuba or Syria, the state can’t make it so.”

Professor’s wife testifies against alleged killer
7Online WSVN-TV
According to prosecutors, Randy Tundidor Sr. stabbed former Nova Southeastern University professor Joseph Morrissey nine times with a 15-inch knife and then set him on fire as revenge because Morrissey was about to evict the Tundidors from his property …

Rollins College Film student creates national commercial
MyFoxOrlando.com
Rollins College commercial/media studies film student Chase Jennings has put the knowledge and skills learn over the course of his years at Rollins College to make a currently airing national commercial for a local website [datelicious.com] that will be featured at the Cannes Film festival in France.

Former President Clinton, in Canyon, says politics should not block progress
LubbockOnline.com
[Bill] Clinton also spoke about Orlando, Fla., which NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense have put $5 billion into. “Every semester, they change educational programs,” he said, referring to the University of Central Florida in Orlando. The First United Bank Center, located just east of WT’s main campus on Fourth Avenue, had a capacity of 5000 seats Tuesday.

Democrats work to boost Rivera challenger
Naples Daily News
“Because of some of the problems that he’s had … you would think he would be a lot more vulnerable,” said Aubrey Jewett, a political science professor at the University of Central Florida…

Tower won’t celebrate Titusville native Daniel Tosh
Florida Today
The city council turned down a $7,000 proposal to place a banner on a city water tower in honor of Comedy Central comedian Daniel Tosh, who graduated from Astronaut High in 1993… Tosh was born May 29, 1975, in Boppard, Rhineland-Palatinate, West Germany, and graduated from the University of Central Florida in 1996 with a degree …

UNF board members among wave of Rick Scott reappointments
Florida Times-Union (blog)
Four University of North Florida board members were among more than 300 board members from across the state reappointed by Gov. Rick Scott Monday. The four — Lanny Russell, Lynn Pappas, Myron Pinkham and Radford Lovett — were part of a wave of …

UT professor explains Mormonism, Romney view
Tbo.com
We’re not trying to destroy Mormonism,” said Ryan Cragun, a professor at the University of Tampa. “We’re trying to explain to people that – Oh, that’s why they believe that.”

Student loan interest to double in July
MyFox Tampa Bay
Students like University of Tampa Sophomore Patrick Ryan are hoping and praying their investment pays off. “The amount of money that I have to take out is disheartening, but it’s definitely worth it,” Ryan told FOX 13…

Releases and Web Stories

PhoneGuard Announces Continued Support for the National Day of Awareness …
MarketWatch (press release)
BOCA RATON, FL, Apr 24, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) — PhoneGuard, Inc., a subsidiary of Options Media Group Holdings, Inc. (otcqb:OPMG) (pinksheets:OPMG), a leading provider of mobile applications software, announced their continued support for the National Day of Awareness (NDA) Against Texting & Driving campaign amid the recent announcement by the festival’s producers that the Rock 2 Live music festival, which was scheduled for this Saturday, April 28th at Florida Atlantic University‘s new stadium in Boca Raton, Florida will be postponed until fall 2012…