The Florida Board of Governors (BOG) has requested the Florida Legislature to allocate approximately $150 million more to funding three major Florida universities: University of South Florida (USF), University of Florida (UF), and Florida State University (FSU).
The request is a part of the BOG’s total $3.57 billion budget request for all of Florida’s college and universities. If approved by the Florida Legislature, each university would receive $50 million.
The reason the schools were selected is because of their high ranking in the annual U.S. News & World Report rankings for public universities in the country. UF finished in the top 5, FSU was No. 19, and USF finished No. 46.
Also, within the request was $280 million for the BOG’s funding program which allocates money among Florida’s 12 public universities. The funding program is performance-based and guided by numerous metrics.
Some critics of the plan are concerned that providing so much money to a few schools could leave other schools underfunded.
“We have places like FAMU [Florida A&M University] that get the short end of the stick,” said State Rep. Geraldine Thompson (D-FL-44).
FAMU is the highest-rated Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in the country and has received approximately $56 million from the performance-based program and last year received $12.6 million. Last year’s funding for FAMU was less than five percent of the total amount of money within the program.
“Our biggest lecture hall doesn’t hold more than 400 students. Whereas their (FSU) biggest lecture hall holds 1,000-plus students,” said Jordan Roberts, a FAMU senior. “How do these schools expect students to get the best grades possible and get through in four years without any resources?”
In the U.S. News and World Report rankings, six of Florida’s universities raised their ranking from the previous year. Five Florida universities are in the Top 100.
“We are extremely thankful that Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature have continued to support higher education in Florida. The result of that commitment is in these rankings,” said Syd Kitson, chair of the Board of Governors, when the rakings were released. “I am thrilled with the success all of our universities have achieved, and I know this will only motivate us to continue pushing to provide a top-quality education at an affordable price for our students.”
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Grant Holcomb is a reporter at The Florida Capital Star and The Star News Network. Follow Grant on Twitter and direct message tips.
Photo “Florida State University” by ernie114.
