Report: College Access Gap Looms in Florida
Oscar Corral
Miami Herald
Feb 8, 2008
Budget cuts and chronic underfunding have left Florida's university system on the brink of a crisis that could leave tens of thousands of students without access to a college education, according to a report by a group that monitors state universities.
The report by ENLACE Florida says the recent decision by the state Board of Governors to freeze growth in freshman enrollment for three years, followed by the possibility of enrollment cuts, ''will create a significant college access gap.'' ENLACE Florida is a network of state university faculty members that researches and promotes college access for minorities.
ENLACE Executive Director Paul Dosal said the consequences of the state's tightfistedness with higher education are now becoming evident.
''We've reached a breaking point,'' said Dosal, a University of South Florida history professor. ``We need to stop and think about how we are doing this.''
Enrollment is set to shrink at a time when the state's population is growing, the report says. Florida already ranks last in the nation in its student-to-faculty ratio of 31-1. The national average, the report said, is 25-1.
In addition, total state funding per full-time student, adjusted for inflation, has dropped from just more than $14,000 in 1990 to only $10,700 this year, the report says.
''A decade of state underfunding, combined with underfunded enrollment increases, has put Florida's state universities and community colleges on the brink of a deep and serious crisis,'' the report said.
The report urges Gov. Charlie Crist, House Speaker Marco Rubio and Senate President Ken Pruitt to convene a ''higher education summit'' to tackle the problem.
While some feel the ENLACE report may have emphasized the worst-case scenario, state leaders acknowledge that Florida's university system is facing difficult times. State University System Chancellor Mark Rosenberg agrees the outlook for state universities is grim, although he said he hoped the budget cuts would end.
''Clearly, we are in a downward spiral,'' Rosenberg said. ``It requires a sense of urgency.''
Budget cuts have already forced Florida's public universities to raise tuition 5 percent for the current year, and more increases are expected to make up for further state budget cutbacks.
Rep. Dan Gelber, the House Democratic leader, said slashing higher education funding was shortsighted because it scaled back on a proven engine of economic advancement, especially for minorities.
''We are not preparing our workforce for higher-end jobs,'' he said. ``Almost all of Florida's challenges and problems lead back to public education. If you want to improve Florida's economy, higher education is the way to do it.''
Jill Chamberlin, a spokeswoman for Rubio, said the representative was aware of the ENLACE report.
''Like many people, he is very concerned about Florida's ability to provide a solid education for our young people, especially in such a competitive world economy,'' Chamberlin said. But, ``we face a huge shortfall in recurring revenues, so we've had to ask all state agencies to take extreme measures.''
The ENLACE report said creative solutions were necessary to rescue Florida's public universities.
'Only bold, innovative, `out-of-the-box' thinking will pull Florida's colleges and universities from the brink,'' the report said.