Tomorrow: The Florida Board of Governors will meet at FAMU.
State University System
Florida Lottery hits landmark $25 billion for education
SaintPetersBlog
The Florida Lottery announced Monday that it reached a record $25 billion in transfers to Florida’s Educational Enhancement Trust Fund, having contributed more than $1 billion annually toward public education over the past 10 consecutive fiscal years…Over the past 25 years, the Lotto has funded more than 600,000 Bright Future Scholarships and 780 statewide school projects.
FAU Faculty Senate opposes GEO stadium-naming deal
Palm Beach Post
Florida Atlantic University’s Faculty Senate has weighed in against the school’s $6 million stadium-naming deal with GEO Group, saying the agreement with the private prison contractor has hurt the school’s reputation. The Faculty Senate voted 25-9 on Friday for a resolution that formally opposes the deal and cites concerns about Boca Raton-based GEO Group’s management of facilities in the U.S. and abroad…
FAU police: Student protester brushed by side mirror of president’s car; trustees chief says students owe president apology
Palm Beach Post
A Florida Atlantic University student protesting the school’s association with private prison operator GEO Group was slightly injured Friday when police say she was brushed by a side mirror of a car driven by the school’s president…
Probe Continues after FAU president’s car hits student
Sun-Sentinel
As a police investigation continues, Florida Atlantic University officials and student protestors are accusing each other in a Friday incident that resulted in a student getting bruised by President Mary Jane Saunders’ car. An initial police report says about 20 students surrounded Saunders’ Lexus on the Jupiter campus shortly after 11 a.m. Friday to try to block her from leaving…
FAU apologizes after Jesus assignment sparks outrage
Sun-Sentinel
Florida Atlantic University has apologized for a class assignment in which students were asked to write “Jesus” on a piece of paper, and then throw it on the floor and stomp on it. Instructor Deandre Poole’s March 4 exercise in the Intercultural Communications class on the FAU Davie campus created a nationwide stir, with blogs and social media sites abuzz with complaints from critics who called it an affront to Christianity…
FGCU’s NCAA basketball run a publicity slam dunk for school
Naples Daily News
Getting ready to brave bookstore lines that ran 60 people deep, sisters Marva Eberly and Mavis Sutton stood around a clothing rack Monday afternoon picking out clothes for Eberly’s grandson. Before March Madness, her grandson didn’t know Florida Gulf Coast University existed. Now, the high school freshman basketball player is talking about attending FGCU and living with his great aunt, Sutton, in her Fort Myers Beach condo…
On campus of Florida Gulf Coast, Sweet 16 is surreal
Herald Tribune
Gigi Meyer, a student at Florida Gulf Coast University, received a phone call from her father on Sunday night, just minutes after the Eagles made history in the NCAA basketball tournament. “He had one word . . . ‘Wow,’ ” she said. “He was amazed at how well they played. “He really, really, wants the Eagles to win.” Gigi Meyer’s father happens to be Urban Meyer, the former football coach who won two national championships at the University of Florida. Even he is pulling for FGCU…
Florida Gulf Coast Eagles: Will March Madness Wins Mean More of Everything for FGCU?
Sunshine State News
The Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, March Madness 2013′s hard-charging Cinderella sensation, have much to celebrate after their weekend smackdowns of the Georgetown Hoyas and the San Diego State Aztecs, but the impact on the school’s future budgetary appropriations remains to be seen. One thing is certain: The university is definitely not going back to where it was just a few years ago. The Naples Daily News quoted FGCU President Wilson Bradshaw on Monday saying that on the day following the team’s win in Philadelphia, there were roughly 177,000 hits to the university’s home page…
Florida Polytechnic announces proposed degrees
Tampa Bay Times
Florida Polytechnic University is giving the first look of the degrees and academic programs the school hopes to offer when it opens its doors to students in 2014. The university has planned five bachelor’s programs with five accompanying master’s degrees located in two colleges: the College of Innovation and Technology and the College of Engineering. Most degrees will have several fields of concentration that students can chose from.
UCF files lawsuit against Pat’s Liquor store
Central Florida Future
A lawsuit, filed on behalf of UCF on March 18, claimed an area liquor store diluted university trademarks and asked for compensation from the store. The lawsuit stated that Pat’s Liquor on Alafaya Trail, which touts itself in advertising as “Your official UCF liquor store,” tarnished UCF’s trademark and blurred the separation between UCF and the store by using UCF’s name and likeness on the store’s website and promotional materials. UCF also asked for the transfer of ownership of the store’s domain name, http://www.UCFLiquorStore.com, to the UCF Board of Trustees, along with discontinuation of the store’s Facebook URL, http://www.Facebook.com/patsliquorucf, according to the lawsuit filed by UCF’s counsel, Robert E. Mitchell of GrayRobinson P.A…
Lawyer Demands UCF to End Greek Life Ban, Alpha Tau Omega CEO Criticizes UCF Conduct Process
KnightNews.com
UPDATE: Sororities have also sent a demand letter to UCF to end the halt on Greek Life. A lawyer suggests that UCF’s reinstatement process is hazing. View that letter HERE.
USF plans to offer physician assistant program
Tampa Bay Business Journal
The University of South Florida’s board of trustees has approved a plan to create a new master’s degree program in physician assistant studies at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With an accreditation site visit in early 2014, USF hopes to launch the two-year program in 2015, according to a written statement…
Pinellas seeking $500,000 AmeriCorps grant
Tampa Bay Times
The Pinellas County School District is seeking a half-million dollar AmeriCorps grant to bolster academic programs in three of its lowest-performing schools. If the district succeeds in getting the three-year grant, AmeriCorps volunteers would be trained to work in Fairmount, Lakewood and Woodlawn elementary schools. Staff would include six onsite substitute teachers and a “parent engagement coordinator” at each school. A liaison to the University of South Florida St. Pete also would recruit, train and monitor about 75 student volunteers to work in the schools…
State College System
New $10K degree coming to Edison State
WZVN-TV
Current students and prospective ones will soon have the chance to get a degree at Edison State College for a bargain price. The degree will allow them to teach science after they graduate.
Scientists confirm first 2-headed bull shark
ScienceBlog.com
The shark was brought to the marine science department at Florida Keys Community College…
Hillsborough County Hosts Hack-A-Thon, Tampa
83degreesmedia
The 3-day Hack-a-thon takes place April 12, 13 and 14 at Hillsborough Community College’s Dale Mabry campus, near Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
Indian River State College Prepares K-12 Educators with New Online Learning Courses
T.H.E. Journal
With the recent passage of the Digital Learning Now Act, school districts throughout Florida are facing new requirements to establish virtual learning options, including a mandate that all students take at least one online course prior to graduating high school. In an effort to better prepare the state’s K-12 educators for online instruction, Indian River State College (IRSC) will create a series of courses designed to overview the various methods associated with teaching and learning in the virtual environment. IRSC will partner with e-learning provider VSchoolz to deliver the courses…
State College of Florida baseball team forfeits another game, suspensions for Rivera and Widell
Bradenton Herald
The fallout from Friday night’s bench-clearing melee between the State College of Florida Manatees and Hillsborough Community College Hawks became clearer on Monday after the Manatees scheduled game against South Florida State College was canceled…
Jimmy John’s driver held at gunpoint near Valencia College
WKMG
Police are asking for the public’s help in finding two men accused of holding a Jimmy John’s driver at gunpoint. Authorities said it happened at an apartment complex across the street from Valencia College’s west campus.
Independent Colleges and Universities
A new clinic run by Nova Southeastern University trains dentistry residents to treat people with special needs
MiamiHerald.com
In 2003, the Nova Institute for Special Needs Dentistry was founded by the late John Tabak, then head of community dentistry at Nova Southeastern Dental College. Through the institute and the resident dentists it trains, thousands of severely disabled patients have received treatment. In 2012 the clinic saw more than 2,500 patients and trained 33 resident-doctors in special care dentistry…
Rollins College department gives President Duncan vote of no confidence
Orlando Sentinel
The largest faculty group at Rollins College has given President Lewis Duncan a vote of no confidence. Faculty of the College of Arts & Sciences voted late last week to issue a vote of no confidence. While the vote does not affect Duncan’s employment status, faculty members hope it sends a strong message that they are unhappy with his leadership. Duncan has been president of the private liberal arts college in Winter Park since 2004. The faculty vote was 67 to 10.
Yip Yap: Noted and Quoted FLHE Voices from Around the State
This could be just a beginning for FGCU and Southwest Florida
Fort Myers News-Press
Move over, Thomas Edison. There are now other famous residents putting Lee County on the map, and these inventors of basketball glory do know how to flip a switch and light up a room…
National champs!
Ocala Star-Banner
The CF Patriots won the biggest prize of all Saturday night with a 74-69 victory over in-state rival Northwest Florida State…
James F. Bailey, Jr.: Don’t undersell FSCJ’s value to community
Jacksonville Daily Record
For just a moment, I want try to change the public conversation about Florida State College at Jacksonville. For the past several months, about the only topics we’ve heard or talked about have been the ongoing issues surrounding now-resigned Steve Wallace, who served as the institution’s president for 15 years before he stepped down at the end of 2012 amid scrutiny. We already know the school has been asked by the U.S. Department of Education to repay more than $4 million in Pell Grants that should not have been issued, plus fines…
FAMU Law professor, students submit amicus brief to U.S. Supreme Court
Blog: Ratter Nation
Three FAMU College of Law students assisted Associate Professor Patricia Broussard in an exercise that brought practical application to their studies in an Advanced Appellate Advocacy course. Third-year law students Stacy Hane and Akunna Olumba, and second-year law student Sabrina Collins completed an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court for the Shelby County, Alabama v Eric H. Holder, Jr. case.
Why Marco Rubio Is Rooting for Florida over Florida Gulf Coast
ABC News
“I think Florida Gulf Coast has ruined everyone’s bracket,” Rubio told ABC, joking that he should have picked the Eagles’ upsets, given that he’s the senator from Florida and all.
FGCU or UF? Gov. Rick Scott says ‘I like both schools’
Naples Daily News
Rick Scott on Monday morning said FGCU had “a great win last night.” But he wouldn’t say whether he planned to root for the Southwest Florida school or the University of Florida in Friday’s Sweet 16 matchup. “I’ll pick the school that has Florida in their name,” he quipped.
Is Rick Scott Rooting for UF or FGCU in Sweet 16?
Sunshine State News (blog)
While admitting that Florida Gulf Coast University had a good win against San Diego State Sunday night to become the first 15-seed team ever to make it to the Sweet 16 round of NCAA’s March Madness, Florida Gov. Rick Scott wouldn’t play favorites on Monday. Even as he visited Naples — FGCU territory — he wouldn’t pick Coach Andy Enfield’s Eagles in an unlikely triumph over No. 3-seed University of Florida.
Threat of Electromagnetic Pulse Attack Is Real for Florida International University Professor
NBC 6 South Florida
Florida International University Engineering Professor Faisel Kaleem and others warn that an “electromagnetic pulse attack” could wreak havoc on entire regions for long periods of time.
Seminar covering laws for running condos in North Florida offered at UNF April 6
Florida Times-Union
Jacksonville attorney Barry Ansbacher will host the free seminar that begins at 8:30 a.m., Saturday, April 6 at the University Center at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville…
Releases and Web Stories
Flagler College alumna accepted to premiere MFA program
ReadMedia (press release)
ST. AUGUSTINE, FL (03/25/2013)(readMedia)– Flagler College alumna Tara Stephens, ’12, has been accepted to the premiere Master of Fine Arts program in the country at Portland State University…
Florida Poly Proposes Degree Programs, Plans for Student Recruitment
flpolyblog
LAKELAND, March 25, 2013 – Following months of research and discussions with academic consultants, Florida Polytechnic University’s Strategic Planning Committee has recommended five degree programs in the College of Innovation and Technology and the College of Engineering.
Florida College System: A $26.6 billion impact
Seminole State College
Florida’s 28 public colleges, known as the Florida College System (FCS), pump an additional $26.6 billion per year into the state’s economy by producing graduates who are better prepared to become high-income earners, according to an economic study released March 18 by the Council of Presidents for the FCS. The report also found that Seminole State College of Florida, the eighth largest FCS institution, had an economic impact on Seminole County of $430.6 million in 2011-12. Seminole State has four campuses in Seminole County and 32,000 students.
Math refresher aims to boost students’ progress
Seminole State College
To help students complete college faster, Seminole State College of Florida will pilot two six-week classes this summer designed to move students quickly from developmental to college-credit math courses…
‘Timely’ new undergrad program in photonics at University of Central Florida applauded by SPIE
PR Web (press release)
A new undergraduate degree program in photonics science and engineering has been created at the University of Central Florida. Leaders of SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, say the new program shows the field is “coming of age” as a distinct discipline, and demonstrates its value as a future career as well as a vital prerequisite for global competitiveness…
UF group helps ‘doctoral moms’ to stay in school
University of Florida
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — PhDMoms, a graduate student organization at the University of Florida, presents a program titled “Getting Started Before You Finish” at 3:30 p.m. today in Corry Commons in Corry Village.
UF Hall of Fame adds 25 new students for 2013
University of Florida
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida has announced 25 new members for the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is the highest recognition given to student leaders at the UF.
Freedom fighter to address gay marriage at UF Law
University of Florida
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Albie Sachs, retired justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa and lifelong freedom fighter in the struggle against apartheid, will be speaking about gay marriage at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, on Tuesday – the same day the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case challenging California’s constitutional ban on gay marriage.
Ron Paul, former GOP presidential candidate, to visit UF
University of Florida
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — ACCENT Speaker’s Bureau at the University of Florida will bring politician, physician and author Ron Paul to campus on April 15. Paul represented Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1976 to 1977, from 1979 to 1985 and from 1997 to 2013. Known for his advocacy for a smaller federal government, individual liberty and free markets, Paul sought the presidency of the United States three times. He ran in 1988 as the Libertarian Party candidate and again in 2008 and 2012 in the Republican primaries.
Local food makes up 20 percent of Florida’s eat-at-home market, UF study shows
University of Florida
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Floridians are buying more food grown locally or regionally and retail sales are higher here than in other states, according to a University of Florida study…
