Noteworthy Recent National & International Higher Ed Reports
An Avalanche is Coming (Report)
Institute for Public Policy Research – UK
An Avalanche is Coming argues that the next 50 years could see a
golden age for higher education, but only if all the players in the system,
from students to governments, seize the initiative and act ambitiously. If
not, an avalanche of change will sweep the system away. Deep, radical and urgent transformation is required in higher education. The biggest risk is that as a result of complacency, caution or anxiety the pace of change is too slow and the nature of change is too incremental. The models of higher education that marched triumphantly across the globe in the second half of the 20th century are broken.
Avalanche is mentioned in Inside Higher Ed this morning..
Improving College Readiness in the Age of the Common Core (Report)
MDRC
Over the next ten years, more than half of all jobs will require some education beyond high school. The majority of students entering college do not earn a college credential that would give them better access to these jobs. While the Common Core State Standards should lead to more college-ready students over time, students will still need programmatic supports from secondary and postsecondary educational institutions to better prepare them for a successful postsecondary educational career. Some promising program models exist. However, they should be refined based on more formative research, and then expanded to scale and rigorously evaluated.
State Higher Education Finance Fiscal Year 2012 (Press Release) (Report)
State Higher Education Executive Officers
This is the annual association of State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) has released its annual State Higher Education Finance (SHEF) report, which provides a comprehensive review of state and local funding, tuition revenue, and enrollment trends for public higher education…
Funding ALERT: Army and Marine Corp Suspend Tuition Assistance Program
The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) issued this Alert Friday afternoon:
AASCU has learned that the Marine Corps and Army have suspended active duty tuition assistance programs indefinitely as a result of sequestration. Both branches have indicated that no new awards will be funded; however, any course enrollments currently in progress or approved prior to the cut-off date will be honored. At this time, it is unclear whether the other branches of the military will follow a similar path. AASCU will pass on more information as it becomes available.
Week 2 (March 11-15, 2013) of the 2013 Legislative Regular Session in Florida begins today:
State University System
Getting to the Bottom of the $10,000 Bachelor’s Degree
The Chronicle of Higher Education
…In February 2011, Mr. Perry challenged public colleges in his state to create a $10,000 degree. Several of them have answered the call. From Texas, the idea of a $10,000 bachelor’s degree has spread like an Internet meme to governors in Florida and Wisconsin, a state legislator in California, and some national online colleges…
Weatherford plans to give state universities their $300 million
Tampa Bay Times
Gov. Rick Scott’s budget proposal for the 2013-2014 fiscal year sets aside $300 million in new university funding, but it breaks down like this:
- $118 million in operating dollars.
- $167 million for performance pay.
- $15 million for the University of Florida.
This was slightly different than what state universities had expected because they were told the $300 million in operating funds cut from their budgets last year would be fully restored. Today, House Speaker Will Weatherford indicated he will side with the universities…
Weatherford says House will restore university cuts
Tampa Bay Times
Last year, Florida’s universities were told the $300 million cut from their operating budgets would be restored for 2013-2014. Then, Gov. Rick Scott’s proposed budget included just $118 million in new operating dollars for state universities and another $167 million in performance funding. House Speaker Will Weatherford told the Times/Herald today that he plans to fully restore the $300 million to the state universities with no strings attached. He told his budget committee chairman to return the money without strings attached…
FAMU awards make students’ dreams come true
Gainesville Sun
…The purpose of the visit is to recruit some of the best students in Florida, according to FAMU. The tour started on Saturday and will also stop in Miami and Fort Lauderdale later this week, said FAMU’s chief communications officer Sharon Saunders…
Family Of FIU Student Struck By Car Pleads For Help
CBS Local
Police said [Melita] Jaric is originally from Yugoslavia and is working on her Ph.D. at Florida International University. She lives at a home in South Miami-Dade with her roommate who police said was devastated. “She’s overwhelmed with so many emotions,” Det. Javier Baez said of the victim’s roommate.
FIU student injured in Miami hit-and-run
Local 10
A student from FIU is in critical condition after she was hit by a driver Friday afternoon in Miami, police say. The Miami Dade Police Department said the incident occurred around 4 p.m. Friday in the 4200 block of SW 11th Street. Investigators say Melita Jaric, 43, was walking across the street to get to her car. Jaric’s roommate said she was going to buy groceries…
Hit-and-Run Leaves 43-Year-Old Woman in Critical Condition: Miami-Dade Police
NBC 6 South Florida
A 43-year-old woman was struck by a hit-and-run driver in broad daylight Friday afternoon as she crossed the 4200 block of Southwest 11th St., Miami-Dade Police said. The victim, identified as Melita Jaric, was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Unit in critical condition…Jaric was initially reported to be a University of Miami doctoral student, but UM spokeswoman Liz Amore said Saturday that she is not affiliated with the school. She is a student at Florida International University, Baez said Saturday…
FSU trustees hear of Barron’s plan
Tallahassee Democrat
Minutes after the end of Friday afternoon’s Board of Trustees meeting, Florida State University President Eric Barron was off to Gov. Rick Scott’s office. His mission: To deliver an updated version of his proposal for what it would take to move FSU into the heady realm of the nation’s top 25 public universities. FSU was ranked No. 42 in the 2012 US News & World Report listings…
Update: FSU police identify woman found dead near alumni center
Tallahassee Democrat
Florida State police have identified the person found dead Tuesday near the Florida State University‘s Alumni Association Center as a 54-year-old Colorado woman. Investigators are calling the death of Teresa Leigh Pruden Bright, of Pueblo, Colo., a probable suicide most likely from an overdose of pills, said Major Jim Russell, spokesman for the FSU Police Department…
Pair armed with knives try to rob man on UCF campus
Orlando Sentinel
Two people are on the loose after trying to rob a man on the University of Central Florida campus Saturday night…
UF part of trial for new lung cancer drugs
Gainesville Sun
…But a new class of drugs that many believe is starting to change the course of cancer treatments may be making some headway with small cell lung cancer — and UF is among two dozen centers worldwide that are taking part in trials to test these drugs. The drugs are known as antibody-drug conjugates. Commonly known as armed antibodies, and often described as missiles, they carry chemotherapy drugs that are unleashed only once the antibody reaches the targeted cell surface…
Talent Draw Drives USF-LRMC Merger
News Chief
Even before she arrived at Lakeland Regional Medical Center, Elaine Thompson was in touch with the University of South Florida‘s Dr. Stephen Klasko about possible relationships between the two organizations…
USF CAMLS launches medical device design contest
Tampa Bay Business Journal
University of South Florida’s Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation wants to know about it. CAMLS has scheduled an open house on March 20, and plans to announce an “open to the public” medical device design contest…
As USF, Tampa General try to strengthen bonds, emails show discord
Tampa Bay Times
The Tampa Bay region’s largest hospital and its only medical school have a relationship that has been likened to a troubled but long-lasting marriage: Even if the fights get ugly, they’ll never split up. But the differences between Tampa General Hospital and the University of South Florida are far from a private matter…
State College System
Special magistrate sides with Edison State College Faculty Union on pay increases
Fort Myers News-Press
A special magistrate has sided with Edison State College Faculty Union on pay increases. In a news release from the union, the magistrate stated that “the Union wasn’t asking for much” and that it was important for faculty to be recognized with some type of financial gain. Yesterday magistrate recommended a one-time payment with payment terms…
FSCJ documents reveal more spending problems and possible ethics violations by ex-president
Florida Times Union
A review of Florida State College at Jacksonville’s expenses shows former president Steve Wallace’s questionable spending and sloppy record-keeping started years before the institution’s finances fell into the glare of public scrutiny. Five years’ worth of documents the Florida Inspector General is examining are riddled with free trips and travel that exceeds college-appropriate costs and could raise new questions about whether Wallace was in compliance with state ethics laws.
Community Happenings 3-9
Destin Log
NWFSC 50th Anniversary - A yearlong 50th Anniversary celebration of Northwest Florida State College officially begins with a festive 50th Anniversary Kick-Off Assembly from 9-10 a.m. April 17 in the Raiders Arena. The event also features the dedication and opening of a permanent Doolittle Raiders historical exhibit that is being constructed in the lobby of The Arena. The doors for the public will open at 8 a.m. and admittance will continue until The Arena reaches seating capacity. The public should enter through the Raider Club doors at the south side of The Arena, rather than the main doors.
NWF State to mark 50th anniversary
The Northwest Florida Daily News
A year of celebration is just a few weeks away at Northwest Florida State College. Festivities for the college’s 50th anniversary will kick off April 17 and continue on at least a monthly basis until April 2014, said Jeff McInnis, chairman of the 50th Anniversary Planning Committee…
Making a Difference: Polk State closet helps job seekers
WTSP 10 News
At Polk State College, an academic office is bursting at the seams with clothes. Piles of pants and tiers of ties are all donated to the Polk State Professional Clothes Closet in order to help people…
Independent Colleges and Universities
Boca Raton police officer fatally shoots carjacking suspect
Palm Beach Post
Officers responded shortly before 9 p.m. to the attempted carjacking of a Comcast employee in the area of Northwest Fourth and 20th streets, Boonenberg said. The suspect then reportedly carjacked a taxi cab, and officers encountered him in the area of Spanish River Boulevard and North Military Trail, just east of Lynn University.
Christian group kicked off Rollins College campus
Central Florida News 13
A controversy continues to brew at Rollins College in Winter Park after a student religious group was kicked off campus. School administrators took the action after the religious group removed a student from a leadership role based on her beliefs about human sexuality…
Hatters relish A-Sun title with another miracle in Macon
Daytona Beach News Journal
They’re calling it “Miracle in Macon II.” Stetson‘s incredible 70-64 comeback victory in Saturday’s Atlantic Sun Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament championship game certainly fits a miracle description. The Hatters trailed by 14 points with a little more than 13 minutes to play against a Florida Gulf Coast team that no A-Sun opponent had come within single digits of beating in 21 games this season.
UM debate team wins national tournament at UF
Miami Herald
The topic of the final debate was “The U.S. Federal government should better fund colleges and universities.”
Separate inquiries surround NCAA investigation of Miami
Miami Hurricanes (blog)
The NCAA investigation is over and the University of Miami is preparing its defense. In the meantime, multiple legal issues swirl surrounding the landmark case. Separate investigations into an attorney involved in the case and the NCAA as a governing body are in the planning stages. News leaked Friday of a federal court inquiry into the dealings Nevin Shapiro’s bankruptcy attorney had with the NCAA…
Yip Yap: Noted and Quoted FLHE Voices from Around the Web
Our Opinion: Cuts devalue college degree
Miami Herald
If the government isn’t helping to make college affordable, there isn’t a point in emphasizing its importance…
Editorial: Putting on an education cape
TBO.com
It is a sure bet that the Career and Professional Education Act proposed by Sen. John Legg of Lutz won’t get lost in the onslaught of Tallahassee bills…
Our Opinion: Message delivered
Tallahassee Democrat
If college students had any doubt about the seriousness of hazing, developments this week should send a strong, stern message that even being associated with such activity can bring dire consequences…
University-Building Names: Critical First Impression
Lakeland Ledger
Putting names on university buildings is a tricky business. This is true whether the name honors someone or simply sells the naming right to the highest bidder…Naming a building after a company runs a different set of risks, as Florida Atlantic University has discovered. Florida Atlantic recently accepted a $6 million donation from GEO Group, a Boca Raton-based private prison corporation, in exchange for naming rights to the university’s football stadium…
Thumb Up: IRSC’s St. Lucie West campus renamed in honor of Ken Pruitt
Treasure Coast Palm
BIG MAN ON CAMPUS: Before he was St. Lucie County property appraiser, Ken Pruitt was a Florida lawmaker. As a leader of the House and as Senate president, he made education a top priority and was instrumental in creating the Bright Futures scholarship program and in the transformation of community colleges to four-year state colleges. Probably no school benefited more from Pruitt’s advocacy for education and his ability to obtain funding for programs and facilities than Indian River State College.
Houghton: Overseas Drone Attacks Test Constitution’s Precepts
Huffington Post (blog)
We are occasionally reminded just how difficult it can be for Congress to keep tabs on what the executive branch does. For example, President Obama has expanded the use of unmanned drone attacks by the CIA in Pakistan, Yemen and Afghanistan, a practice that has apparently succeeded on many occasions (although we’re not told about the failures). It recently emerged that the administration regards the execution of terror suspects without due process or trial as legal, even if the suspect is a U.S. citizen…Opinion series by faculty, staff and students of UCF
New Finance Head at Ave Maria University
The Ave Herald
Ave Maria University has hired a new head of its financial operations, announcing that Maureen Joyce will assume the position of vice president of Finance and Administration in early April…
Police: Bethune-Cookman professor tried to meet teen for sex
WFTV Orlando
Daytona Beach police said they have arrested a Bethune-Cookman University professor after he tried to meet what he thought was a 14-year-old girl for sex on Thursday. Bethune-Cookman professor Brian Jansen, 44, was arrested and booked into the Volusia County jail on Thursday. He has since bonded out of jail.
Charles Dassance continues in role as interim president at …
Summit Daily News
Charles Dassance, a former college president from Florida, was chosen as Colorado Mountain College’s interim president in an unanimous decision by the CMC Board of Trustees. Dassance beat out two other candidates for the position…In 1996, Dassance was hired as president of what was then known as Central Florida Community College in Ocala, Fla …
Lawyer: Man to Plead Guilty in FAMU Hazing Death
AP
A man charged in the hazing death of a Florida A&M drum major is going to plead guilty and cooperate with prosecutors, his attorney said Friday. Caleb Jackson will plead guilty to felony hazing and manslaughter as soon as April, attorney Chuck Hobbs said at a hearing at the Orange County Courthouse. Jackson currently is being held in the Leon County Jail for violating his probation…
Defendant gives eyewitness account of Champion’s hazing death
Orlando Sentinel
Ryan Dean, a co-defendant in the hazing death Robert Champion, has provided an eyewitness account of the FAMU drum major’s brutal death. The release of his statement coincided Friday with the announcement that defendant Caleb Jackson would plead guilty to participating in the hazing…
Gary to keynote FAMU Law hooding ceremony
Blog: Rattler Nation
Florida Attorney Willie E. Gary, who has earned his reputation as “The Giant Killer”, will keynote the Ninth Annual FAMU College of Law Hooding Ceremony on May 11, 2013.
Holmes shakes up FAMU football staff
Tallahassee Democrat (blog)
Earl Holmes expects administrative approval within a few days on three of the six coaches he plans to hire before the Florida A&M football team begins spring practice later this month.
Matthews appointed dean of the new College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities
Blog: Rattler Nation
FAMU has announced that Valencia E. Matthews, a long-time faculty member at the university, will serve as dean of the College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities (CSSAH).
Florida beaches close as sharks invade coastal waters
The Guardian
…”The sharks are not predatory, at least as far as humans are concerned, and in clear water are far more likely to just swim away,” Shari Tellman, of Florida Atlantic University’s Elasmobranch Research Laboratory, told the Guardian…
JMOF-FIU to honor 5 women at annual Breaking the Glass Ceiling awards
Heritage Florida Jewish News
The Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU, the only museum dedicated to the story of 250 years of Florida Jewish heritage, arts and culture, announced the winners of the 17th Annual Breaking the Glass Ceiling awards for five women [Jeri Beth Cohen, Sherryl Susan Evans, Sonia Pressman Fuentes, Marilyn Hoder-Salmon, Betsy Kaplan] who have been successful in fields generally dominated by men.
Man arrested after flooding North Naples hotel
Fox 4
Firefighters and deputies encountered a massive mess at the Hampton Inn in North Naples located next to Hodges University Thursday night. Water flooded through three floors, all caused by an irate guest who had punched a hole through a bathroom wall and a water pipe had been ruptured. Deputies say they found 28-year-old Thomas Flipse of Jacksonville inside a third floor guestroom, inside the bathroom yelling and swearing…
Wendel took Collier Planned Parenthood from storefront to its own …
Naples Daily News
Planned Parenthood of Collier County is saying goodbye to its leader of 18 years, who took the program from a forgettable storefront to a stately presence in the community. Char Wendel’s imprint on the women’s health center at 1425 Creech Road in North Naples will last for years to come. Perhaps the same holds true with the purple hues, her favorite color, in some of the clinic’s décor…She will leave at the end of March to start a job as founding dean of online learning and information resources at Hodges University.
12-year-old girl feels a part of college’s basketball team
The Northwest Florida Daily News
Kelly Harrington has grown up with basketball. Her first experience with the sport was a pink basketball given to her as a baby by her dad, Northwest Florida State College women’s coach Patrick Harrington. The 12-year-old plays JV basketball at Ruckel Middle School. Kelly has even become a part of the Lady Raiders…
Helping Sales Succeed Through Better Automated Marketing
Forbes
“By automating these communications as well as giving us the ability to keep all of our marketing information in a consistent format that can be accessed at a glance,” explains Brian Croswhite, Marketing Director, Nova Southeastern University. “MarketingPilot is giving us the tools to do our job better as well as to keep our clients better informed.”
Santa Fe honors the 2013 Women of Distinction
Gainesville Sun
For 27 years, Santa Fe College has celebrated Women’s History Month by honoring local women who do exceptional work in the community [Anne Voyles, Diane Farb and Stephanie Dioguardi].
UCF scientist may have golden solution for pilots hit by laser pointers
Orlando Sentinel
Most people see gold as a high-end sign of wealth. Jayan Thomas sees it as a high-tech remedy for a safety threat that has worried the aviation industry for years. The University of Central Florida scientist envisions his research in gold …
Sea level rise could threaten Miami facilities
Gainesville Sun
“At some point, and I hope it’s this year, Miami-Dade government and everybody has to start truly recognizing that we’re in for it, that this is coming,” University of Miami geology professor Harold Wanless told the paper.
Releases and Web Stories
Governor Rick Scott Reappoints Norman Tripp to the Board of Governors of the State University System
Press Release
Today (March 8), Governor Rick Scott announced the reappointment of Norman Tripp to the Board of Governors of the State University System. Tripp, 74, of Fort Lauderdale, is an attorney with Tripp Scott, P.A. In addition to his work on the Board of Governors of the State University System, Tripp also previously served on the Board of Directors for Annenberg College, the Board of Trustees for the University of Miami, the Advisory Board of Nova Southeastern University, and the Board of Trustees of Florida Atlantic University. Tripp received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami and his law degree from Cleveland State University. He is reappointed for a term beginning March 8, 2013, and ending January 6, 2020. The appointment is subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.
FAU Receives Perfect Score for SACS Reaccreditation
FAU True Blue News
FAU has received a perfect score from the on-site reaffirmation of accreditation visitation team from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission on Colleges. The SACS team reported that no additional action is needed prior to submission to the entire SACS Commission on Colleges in December 2013 at its annual meeting. This was a result of a thorough review of FAU’s compliance audit documents on every aspect of the University, visits to FAU’s campuses, and meetings with key individuals and groups that provided leadership for this critically important initiative. Such a report is achieved by only 2 percent of colleges and universities undergoing similar reviews…
New Tools Offer Significant Improvements in Reducing Unnecessary Hospitalizations
FAU True Blue News
The Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine has announced the release of new tools for its Interventions to Reduce Acute Care Transfers (INTERACT) program. INTERACT facilitates the early identification, evaluation, documentation and communication about changes in the status of residents in skilled nursing facilities (SNF), and provides the necessary tools to manage conditions before they become serious enough to necessitate a hospital transfer.
Star Gazers – “Three Stars With Really Nifty Names And A Comet Alert!”
Santa Fe College
James C. Albury, Planetarium Coordinator of Santa Fe College’s Kika Silva Pla Planetarium, is the co-host of the PBS television program, “Star Gazers”. This program is the world’s only weekly television series devoted to naked-eye astronomy. Each weekly episode features selected objects in the sky for naked-eye viewing during the upcoming week.
Huge, aggressive mosquito may be abundant in Florida this summer, UF/IFAS …
University of Florida
Just how abundant is a matter of speculation, but University of Florida entomologist Phil Kaufman says last year the state had a bumper crop of the huge, biting insects, which are sometimes called gallinippers.
Mom’s sensitivity helps language development in children with hearing loss
EurekAlert (press release)
CORAL GABLES, FL (March 8, 2013) – University of Miami (UM) Psychologist Alexandra L. Quittner leads one of the largest, most nationally representative studies of the effects of parenting on very young, deaf children who have received cochlear implants. The findings indicate that mothers who are most sensitive in their interactions with their children receiving cochlear implants have kids that develop language faster, almost “catching up” to their hearing peers. The report is published in the Journal of Pediatrics.
