Meeting Today:
The Florida Blue Ribbon Task Force on Higher Education
Morning sessions will begin at 8:45 a.m. and run until 11:15 a.m. allowing each of three sub-committees to hold initial conversations. The sub-committee topics and locations are provided below:
(1) Accountability: Senate Building, Room 227
(2) Tuition/Funding: Senate Building, Room 229 (will not meet June 11)
(3) Governance: Senate Building, Room 231
The full Task Force meeting will be called to order at 12:30 p.m. in the Cabinet Room of The Capitol. The anticipated agenda is included on page 2 of the Media Advisory which can be viewed under the “File Sharing” link of this web site.
NOTE: The Florida Channel has indicated its intent to televise LIVE the full Task Force Meeting beginning at 12:30 p.m.
A full agenda can be found here.
State University System
Education leader praises FAMU trustees after Ammons’ rebuke
Orlando Sentinel
One of Florida’s top education leaders praised the Florida A&M University Board of Trustees following its vote of no confidence Thursday in university President James Ammons. ”I recognize how difficult it must be for the FAMU Board of Trustees to take aggressive steps to reverse the trend of the past year,” Dean Colson, chairman of the Florida Board of Governors, wrote in a statement after the 8-4 vote.
FAMU president James Ammons under pressure after multiple scandals
Tampabay.com
Today, that duty falls to James Ammons, as he works to protect FAMU from mounting public criticism amid investigations into hazing, financial troubles, accreditation issues and more. Ammons, a FAMU alumnus and former provost, knew what he was getting …
FAMU Tuition Increase Proposal Approved
WCTV
The FAMU Board of Trustees voted on a proposal to increase tuition by eight percent. During the board’s meeting Thursday, Trustee Torey Alston rhetorically asked if students will get an eight percent increase in education…
Business news: FGCU offers executive MBA program
The News-Press
Florida Gulf Coast University is offering an executive-style MBA program for business leaders, executives and professionals who want to earn their MBA…
Work on Poly might cease
Brandon News and Tribune
The company that donated the land where the new Florida Polytechnic University is being built in Lakeland now seeks conditions that could halt construction, adding a significant obstacle to the creation of the state’s 12th university.
Land dispute may halt Lakeland university building
MiamiHerald.com
A dispute over the transfer of donated land could halt the ongoing construction of a campus for Florida’s newest state university in Lakeland. The chairman of a Board of Governors committee overseeing the birth of Florida Polytechnic University said Friday that he will ask the board to stop the project if the matter is not resolved before its next regular meeting June 19-21 in Orlando. Construction of the first building, expected to cost $100 million, already has begun…
Official wants florida poly land free and clear
News Chief
Construction may be stopped on a $100 million university building here if the state can’t obtain unencumbered ownership documents from the original donor of 530 acres of land. Mori Hosseini, chairman of the Select Committee on Florida Polytechnic University, said during a meeting Friday he has serious concerns about going forward with construction on a site with questionable ownership…
Florida Polytechnic University runs into trouble over land dispute
WFSU
Over a month after Governor Rick Scott approved a bill creating Florida’s twelfth university, the plan is moving forward. But Florida Polytechnic University isn’t out of the woods yet. During the Florida Board of Governors’ meeting Friday, members discussed the progress of the new school. Board member Morteza Hosseini says new concerns have arisen about the transfer of the school’s property from the University of South Florida.
Land dispute adds obstacle to Florida Poly construction
Tbo.com
The company that donated the land where the new Florida Polytechnic University is being built in Lakeland now seeks conditions that could halt construction, adding a significant obstacle to the creation of the state’s 12th university…
Board of Governors threaten to stop Florida Poly construction
WTSP 10 News
Repeating his concern that the yet-to-be-created Florida Polytechnic University wasn’t fully funded by the lawmakers that demanded it, Florida Board of Governors committee chair Mori Hosseini called upon Polk County to fundraise for the new university. He also issued a stern warning about legal issues.
FSU Board signs off on Tallahassee-Leon Civic Center sale, tuition hike
WFSU
Florida State University‘s Board of Trustees has approved the purchase of the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center. FSU is the primary user of the financially-troubled facility. Under the deal, the University will lease the facility back to the city and county for a year. The school will pay about $1.15 million for the center, and agreed to take on an additional $4 million of the facility’s debt. The City and County will contribute another $500,000 to settle a lawsuit that paves the way for FSU’s takeover…
FSU Trustees Approve 4 Year Academic Plan for Panama City Campus
WJHG-TV
Florida State University‘s Board of Trustees approved a proposal on Friday, allowing its Panama City campus to offer a limited range of general education and lower-level courses focused on upper-level majors, which will allow freshmen admission beginning fall 2013.
More wolves preying on college students
Philadelphia Inquirer
Some schools have been making out like bandits by giving lenders exclusive access to their students. Ohio State University gets $25 million from its contract with Huntington Bank, while Florida State University receives a cut of every ATM fee a student pays…
FSU PC to admit freshmen
The News Herald
Florida State University’s Panama City campus will accept freshmen beginning in the 2013 fall semester…
Video: Here’s the robot UCF considering to store, retrieve library books
Bizjournals.com (blog)
In the June 8 issue of Orlando Business Journal, we ran a story about the University of Central Florida potentially raising a fee that could lead to a $64.4 million library renovation down the road. The plan is pretty neat, with the centerpiece being a robot that would retrieve library books housed in an addition to the back of the library. While systems like this have been used in commercial warehouses for a while, what really solidified it as a higher-education option was the University of Chicago.
News 13 to host Orange-Osceola state attorney candidates forum
Central Florida News 13
The four candidates for state attorney will appear at the candidate forum at the University of Central Florida on Tuesday, July 24.
University of Florida President To Retire in 2013
NBC 6 Miami
University of Florida President Bernie Machen said Friday that he plans to retire sometime in 2013. Machen, 68, made the announcement at the UF Board of Trustees meeting in Gainesville, and the university followed up with a news release. He took office as UF’s 11th president in January 2004.
Machen: UF will seek 9 percent, rather than 15 percent, tuition hike
Ocala
In light of concerns about tuition from the governor down to University of Florida trustees, UF announced it is seeking a 9 percent tuition increase rather than the maximum 15 percent allowed by law. UF President Bernie Machen said Friday the decision was in part a recognition of the impact of an increase on students in tough economic times…
Reports: Windshield cracks in midair as Florida Gators track team returns from …
Orlando Sentinel
After winning Florida’s first NCAA Championship in men’s outdoor track and field on Saturday, the team had a rough journey home…
How Instagram Allows University of Florida Alumni To Relive The Good Old Days (And Give Money)
StateImpact Florida
The University of Florida is using the faux-nostalgic Instagram photography app to foster relationships with nostalgia-seeking alumni, according to a story in U.S.News & World Report…
UF president to retire
St. Augustine Record
University of Florida President Bernie Machen on Friday announced he plans to retire next year, though he said he wants to remain at the university as a professor…
UF wants to raise tuition less than 15 percent cap, Machen announces retirement
Tampabay.com
In a surprising change of heart that’s likely to have ripple effects throughout the state university system, the University of Florida decided Friday to ask for a 9 percent tuition hike — short of the 15 percent increase the university is allowed to seek under state law…
Univ. of Florida president to retire in 2013
The News-Press
University of Florida President Bernie Machen on Friday announced he plans to retire next year, though he said he wants to remain at the university as a professor. Machen, who became president in early 2004, said at the university’s Board of Trustees …
University of Florida president Bernie Machen says he’ll retire in 2013; been chief since 2004
Washington Post
University of Florida President Bernie Machen says he’ll retire in 2013. The 68-year-old Machen made the announcement Friday at the UF Board of Trustees meeting in Gainesville. Chairman David Brown said the board would begin a search for the next president this summer, with the goal of finding Machen’s successor by next year.
USF helps reinvent medicine
Tbo.com
The new USF Health Heart Institute is operating out of a warren of crowded offices in South Tampa now, but in three years, doctors expect to have six stories, maybe more, on the north end of the USF campus, near the new medical school that’s being planned…
UWF pushes heritage tourism project to add $1 billion to local economy
Pensacola Business Journal
For three months, Matt Altier, the University of West Florida’s vice president for administrative services, has been on a road show of sorts. He’s pushing his vision for a project of up to $50 million to create a dramatically expanded cultural heritage …
UWF Inc.: University turns to private sector for growth, capital
Pensacola Business Journal
Remember this name: Matt Altier. You’ll hear it again. Altier is vice president for administrative services at the University of West Florida. But, most significantly, he’s the CEO and mastermind of Business Enterprises Inc., a UWF-affiliated nonprofit that is expected to fundamentally change the university’s footprint in the community…
State College System
Some FSCJ board meetings violate Sunshine law, open government experts say
Florida Times-Union
Florida State College at Jacksonville’s board kept no minutes of workshops for more than a decade, a violation of state Sunshine law college leaders say they will now correct…
FSCJ picks Jax attorney to investigate Pell Grant blunder
WOKV
The Florida State College at Jacksonville says they will conduct their own independent investigation as to what went wrong in their Pell Grant process which left the school around $2.8 million in debt to the US Department of Education. Jacksonville real estate attorney Bill Scheu will investigate and report on what exactly went wrong in the process that gave out Pell Grants for the 2010-11 year.
Local HCC campus president retires after 13 years
Northwest News and Tribune
Felix Haynes is saying goodbye after 13 years as president of the local campus of Hillsborough Community College.
Four-year degree offering behind Lake-Sumter Community College name change
Orlando Sentinel
Keep a close eye on these college initials: LSCC could soon become LSSC. Lake-Sumter Community College, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, is in the process of adding its first bachelor’s degree, or four-year, program in organizational management…
Arrest in Domino’s slaying
Pensacola Business Journal
An hourlong manhunt in Warrington on Friday led to the capture and arrest of a suspect in connection with the September murder of a Pensacola State College student. The suspect, Gary Demeatric Harrison, 44, of Pensacola is accused of killing Tyler Hinkle, a 19-year-old student and Domino’s Pizza driver. Hinkle was fatally stabbed on Sept. 24 outside the business at 27 N. Navy Blvd. after returning from a delivery…
Tape: shooting suspect says he ‘freaked out’
Tbo.com
Prosecutors in Bartow have released hundreds of documents and taped interviews that give a new look at the suspect in the shooting deaths of two Polk State College students and the wounding of a third man.
Independent Colleges and Universities
EWC receives welcome aid
Florida Times-Union
Edward Waters College will re-launch its summer school program this year, thanks in large measure to a $200000 grant from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund.
Embry-Riddle’s new VP plans high tech ventures at research park
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has hired the former head of the University of South Florida’s research park to the same position, and he has high hopes for ERAU’s new 90-acre park that could bring aviation companies and hundreds of jobs to this area in the next decade. Rod Casto will start his job as Embry-Riddle’s associate vice president for research and innovation — the same title he held at USF — on July 1…
Spring tea is Flagler tradition
St. Augustine Record
Nearly 80 women gathered at Markland House on the Flagler College campus on May 8 dressed in their best spring attire to take part in Mrs. Abare’s Spring Tea, an annual event hosted by Susan Abare to celebrate the women who support Flagler College…
FIT Institute Rates States in Spending Transparency
Brevard Times
Some state governments are much better than others at providing transparency in access to their spending data, according to new results from the Activity-Based Total Accountability (ABTA) Institute at Florida Institute of Technology.
Hodges university graduation: A mission accomplished
The News-Press
Ten years in the Army and stints as a video store owner and deliverer of golf carts is now behind Michael Ray Myers, 55, of Fort Myers. As of Sunday, Myers now has a bachelor’s degree in management from Hodges University and he has definite plans for his sheepskin…
Historic board opposes Stover Theatre demolition
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Stetson University’s Stover Theatre, seen here in October 2005 and built in the 1930′s, has been given stay of execution by the Historic Preservation Board…
Miami foster youth honored in grad ceremony
MiamiHerald.com
AP A ceremony was held at the University of Miami on Saturday to honor nearly 100 students graduating from high school, college, and trade school. University of Miami President Donna Shalala told the crowd the task of preparing students who are aging out of foster care for college and adulthood is especially challenging. She lauded their achievements as a momentous step.
Yip Yap: Noted and Quoted FLHE Voices from Around the State
LETTER: Bright future
Naples Daily News
I extend my thanks to the board of trustees of Edison State College for selecting Jeffery Allbritten as our new president. As student government president-elect at the Collier Campus, I also thank Interim President Dudley Goodlette for all his hard … Jacob Winge – East Naples
Stein: Following a dream has real benefits
Sun-Sentinel
And now, in your very own beloved Sun Sentinel, we had an op-ed piece recently by Robert J. Stilley, chair of the Florida Atlantic University Board of Trustees, saying that one of the keys to easing the student loan crisis is making sure students are …
Time to move forward on Florida Polytechnic
Tbo.com
Regarding “Hail to ‘Useless State’ ” (Carl Hiaasen, Other Views, May 31): It’s time to put the past behind us and make way for the bright and promising future destined for Florida Polytechnic University. The negativity expressed by Hiaasen regarding Florida Polytechnic reflects nothing of the university’s vital mission, which is to produce highly qualified, competitive graduates who are capable of moving into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) jobs…Cliff Otto is co-chair of Florida Poly Vision Inc. He is the president of Saddle Creek Corporation.
Letters from readers: FSCJ trustees are active, responsible
Florida Times-Union
We read the Times-Union’s editorial regarding leadership at Florida State College at Jacksonville with a good measure of puzzlement…James McCollum, Board chairman | Florida State College at Jacksonville
Editorial: Less corruption, more jobs
Palm Beach Post
A notable state case was Ray Sansom, the former speaker of the Florida House who had to resign after revelations that he had used his legislative post to arrange a six-figure job at Northwest Florida State College.
LETTER: Make a commitment
The Northwest Florida Daily News
As a former member of the Florida House of Representatives Higher Education Committee and Florida Senate Appropriations Committee, it was apparent to me that striking the appropriate balance between access and excellence was Job No. 1 in our higher education system…Richard Crotty – Orlando
SunRail commuter line has cities hoping for economic growth
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Eric Dumbaugh, an associate professor of urban and regional planning at Florida Atlantic University, said he doesn’t know a lot about DeBary, specifically, but said the kinds of urban, mixed-use projects in Central Florida such as Celebration and Baldwin Park have been successful. ”These things tend to do well in Orlando,” he said. “There’s no reason that wouldn’t work.”
Phone apps change South Florida’s gay dating game
Sun-Sentinel
“Since the apps are localized, you can see who lives in your neighborhood and who lives a mile or two away,” said Fred Fejes, a media professor at Florida Atlantic University who uses Daddyhunt and Grindr for social networking.
Statewide primary ballot set as clock strikes noon
Tampabay.com
The luckiest candidates on Friday were the four rookie state House candidates who won two-year terms without receiving a single vote, because no one ran against them. They are Republicans Travis Cummings of Orange Park and Charlie Stone of Ocala and Democrats Victor Torres Jr. of Orlando and Shevrin Jones of West Park, in South Broward County. Jones, 28, a chemistry instructor at Florida Atlantic University, has been campaigning since late April. “I’m excited,” Jones said. “This was just our time.”
2012 ballot closes with more than 140 candidates in Collier, Lee counties
Naples Daily News
“There seems to be an abundance of candidates (and) one of the factors is this is a presidential election year, so voter turnout is much higher,” said Peter Bergerson, a politics professor at Florida Gulf Coast University in Estero.
Honduran, US relations overcome deadly drug raid
CNN
The soft reaction to the Ahuas shooting boils down to a contradiction of Hondurans’ situation, said Eduardo Gamarra, professor of politics and international relations at Florida International University.
Feds to sell off delinquent loans, aiding South Florida borrowers in foreclosure
Palm Beach Post
Florida International University real estate economist Ken H. Johnson said the sale is a gamble on the part of buyers and the FHA. “The only way the FHA can get rid of these products is if they sell at significant, dramatic losses,” he said.
Ballistics Breakthrough at FIU
NBC 6 Miami
Now the latest breakthrough is happening here in South Florida, at a chemistry lab on the Florida International University campus… ”Newly developed technology known as ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to electro-spray mass spectrometry,” said Dr. Bruce McCord, speaking a language familiar only to those in his field, forensic chemistry. Basically, McCord has developed a new test to determine if someone has fired a particular gun.
Ex-congressman got millions in land deal
Palm Beach Post
[fmr. Inspector General Allen] Vann, currently audit director at Florida International University, stood by his reports when contacted in April but declined further comment.
Luka Rocco Magnotta: Is accused killer a ‘psychopath?’
Toronto Star
Daniel Waschbusch, a psychology professor at Florida International University, said although he is not familiar with Magnotta’s case or any details about his upbringing, many criminals have rough childhoods and are defined as “callous-unemotional.” Still, says Waschbush, a positive environment doesn’t solve everything. “Plenty of parents I work with are making heroic efforts to help and the kids are still struggling.”
Bense Elected New Chairman of the FSU Board of Trustees
wmbb
The Florida State University Board of Trustees elected Trustee Allan Bense to succeed as chairman Wm. Andrew Haggard, who had completed his two-year term at the helm. Haggard, a Coral Gables attorney elected chairman in 2010, remains a trustee on the board. His appointment ends in 2015…
Florida students travel cross country, selling Romney wares
SW Iowa News
Tommy Dastamanis, 28, and Matt Taxdal, 24, were readying their table with campaign hats, T-shirts and buttons. The two University of Florida students are taking time off from school to crisscross the country, following the Romney campaign to sell their products to eager Romney supporters. While not officially part of the campaign, the two are considered “friends of the campaign,” Taxdal said…
UF study in Immokalee shows panther kills of calves not as common as feared
Naples Daily News
A report on the first year of the study is putting some hard numbers to the problem, for the first time, and is revealing some surprises, they say. ”I think we have a good handle on what happened,” said University of Florida graduate student Caitlin Jacobs, who conducted the study with the help of ranchers. Getting to the bottom of the problem of panthers preying on cattle herds looms large …
The Making of an Olympic Sex Symbol
New York Times
AFTER finishing three hours of laps, sprints and weighted strokes at the University of Florida’s Olympic-size pool here, Ryan Lochte, the record-setting, gold medal-winning swimmer, was showing the briefest glimmer of fatigue.
Disparity in FCAT scores a result of many factors
Gainesville Sun
David Miller, a University of Florida College of Education professor of research methods and evaluation, said lower scores can also be attributed to shifting standards. “The one thing (parents) need to understand is this is a whole new system,” he said …
When pets lead to regret, enter the Endangered Primate Foundation
Florida Times-Union
Each semester, professors from the communications department [at UNF] choose a local nonprofit for whom their senior students “work as a full-service public relations/advertising agency to develop a campaign,” according to the class syllabus. “The benefits are two fold,” said instructor Dee Colvin-Ott, whose two classes, each with 20 students, competed against one another to “win” the EPF “account.” “Students work on a project for a real client that really can be used and we are able to help out a nonprofit organization that can’t afford to pay an agency.”
Once-competitive open races all but decided as qualfying ends
Florida Times-Union
And on Friday, former National Security Council member and current University of North Florida visiting professor Nancy Soderberg qualified as a Democrat…
Introducing The 12: Student journalists chronicling the 2012 election on Tumblr
Washington Post (blog)
Today, The Washington Post launches The 12, aimed at keeping track of campaign issues across swing states. The site is powered by Tumblr and will be populated by student journalists at 12 universities in some of the most competitive 2012 election states. Using content aggregated from student media outlets and local news sources, the 12 will be a site that leverages Tumblr’s curation tools to feature election news that matters most to voters in battleground states and identify campaign issues that have yet to bubble up to the national conscience…. Ryan Thompson is a senior at the University of North Florida and is enterprise editor for the UNF Spinnaker and maintains a “vlog ” in his spare time on “words, books, college life and Harry Potter — among other things.”
Reading bill modeled after Florida program reignites debate over social promotion
Charlotte Observer
“It looks like advocates of the Florida approach are taking everything but the relevant pieces,” said Sherman Dorn, a professor at the University of South Florida who has watched the Florida literacy program grow and other states attempt to reproduce …
PolitiFact Florida: Pinellas sheriff candidate Everett Rice tries to duck …
Tampabay.com
University of South Florida tax professor Ryan Huston suggested Rice could save about $30000 by writing off his hypothetical donation, though it’s really a fluid “guesstimate” that doesn’t account for a lot of other variables…
Trial set to begin for man accused of killing well-known Tampa Bay actor Jeff …
Tampabay.com
[Jeff] Norton earned degrees in theater and acting from the University of South Florida and Southern Methodist University, and also taught at USF…
Lawsuit claims doctors’ mistakes caused child to die after tonsillectomy
Tampabay.com
David Z. Rose, a vascular neurologist not involved with Carly’s case, said people who have such abnormalities may be born with them. Trauma or a rise in blood pressure can cause the vessels to burst and bleed, said Rose, an assistant professor at the University of South Florida and Tampa General Hospital…
Releases and Web Stories
FSU Significantly Reduces Distance Learning Graduate Program’s Tuition Rate
Sacramento Bee
TALLAHASSEE, Fla., June 8, 2012 –/PRNewswire/ — Beginning in the fall 2012 semester, out-of-state distance learning students can benefit from reduced tuition rates at Florida State University‘s (FSU) nationally recognized College of Criminology and Criminal Justice. All distance learning graduate students enrolled in the Master of Criminal Justice Studies program will pay the in-state tuition rate of $513.34 per credit hour – a savings of more than $600 per credit hour compared to the College’s current out-of-state tuition rate.
Vicki Pugh Named PBA’s Vice President for Development
Press Release
Palm Beach Atlantic University President William M.B. Fleming, Jr. has appointed Vicki Pugh as Vice President for Development, effective July 5, 2012…
Timothy Worley Named Executive Assistant to PBA President
Press Release
Palm Beach Atlantic University President William M.B. Fleming, Jr. has appointed Timothy Worley as Executive Assistant to the President, effective July 10, 2012…
University of Florida College of Medicine Announces Anesthesiology Residency
Becker’s ASC Review
The University of Florida College of Medicine in Jacksonville has secured approval for an anesthesiology residency program to begin this year. Twelve candidates have already been accepted to the three-year program, according to a university release.
First eye cancer patient at the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute …
MarketWatch (press release)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., June 8, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — The fixed beam room, or eyeline, at the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute is up and running and radiation oncologist Robert Malyapa, MD, Ph.D. completed treating the facility’s …
University of Florida president to retire in 2013
Sacramento Bee
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – University of Florida President Bernie Machen says he’ll retire in 2013. The 68-year-old Machen made the announcement Friday at the UF Board of Trustees meeting in Gainesville. Chairman David Brown said the board would begin a search for the next president this summer, with the goal of finding Machen’s successor by next year. Machen and Brown will agree on a date for him to leave office. He plans to remain at the university as a professor.
