Post by FIUBlue82 on Sept 27, 2007 14:02:37 GMT -5
Should be fun seeing how this plays out in Tallahassee. Charlie and the Board of Governors may be going to battle for control over who sets tuition in Florida.
From the Herald:
Board OK's 5% hike in state schools' tuitions
Posted on Thu, Sep. 27, 2007
BY GARY FINEOUT
gfineout@MiamiHerald.com
'If the Board of Governors says go, we will go.'
TALLAHASSEE -- Florida's college students will have to pay $55 more for their classes this spring under a precedent-setting vote by the panel that oversees the state's 11 public universities. The Florida Board of Governors on Thursday unanimously voted to hike university tuition by 5 percent, a move that sets up a potential confrontation with Gov. Charlie Crist, who has been opposed to raising tuition. Crist vetoed a tuition hike earlier this year and so far has said he is against a spring tuition hike.
Most students, however, should expect to pay more regardless of the ongoing tug of war over tuition. Several university presidents said they will follow the mandate of the Board of Governors, a panel created by voters in 2002, regardless of what the governor decides to do. This marks the first time the group has asserted that it has the power to set tuition instead of the Legislature and governor.
''If the Board of Governors says go, we will go,'' said Florida International University President Modesto ''Mitch'' Maidique.
That was echoed by Florida Atlantic University President Frank Brogan.
''If they mandate it, we set it,'' Brogan said.
But Florida State University President T.K. Wetherell didn't agree. He said FSU would only hike its tuition rates if the Legislature voted during the upcoming special session to raise the amount. Wetherell said unless lawmakers also approve a tuition hike, it is sure to be challenged by ``any first year law student.''
Former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham earlier this year filed a lawsuit that said the Board of Governors and not the Legislature has the power to raise tuition. The House and Senate are vigorously fighting the suit.
But the legal wrangling may not matter if lawmakers and Crist also agree to a tuition hike. House Republicans on Thursday unveiled their own budget plan for the upcoming session that calls for a 5 percent tuition hike.
Rep. Joe Pickens, a Palatka Republican and chairman of the House Schools and Learning Council, defended the proposed tuition increase and noted that Florida's tuition rates will still remain among the lowest in the nation.
From the Herald:
Board OK's 5% hike in state schools' tuitions
Posted on Thu, Sep. 27, 2007
BY GARY FINEOUT
gfineout@MiamiHerald.com
'If the Board of Governors says go, we will go.'
TALLAHASSEE -- Florida's college students will have to pay $55 more for their classes this spring under a precedent-setting vote by the panel that oversees the state's 11 public universities. The Florida Board of Governors on Thursday unanimously voted to hike university tuition by 5 percent, a move that sets up a potential confrontation with Gov. Charlie Crist, who has been opposed to raising tuition. Crist vetoed a tuition hike earlier this year and so far has said he is against a spring tuition hike.
Most students, however, should expect to pay more regardless of the ongoing tug of war over tuition. Several university presidents said they will follow the mandate of the Board of Governors, a panel created by voters in 2002, regardless of what the governor decides to do. This marks the first time the group has asserted that it has the power to set tuition instead of the Legislature and governor.
''If the Board of Governors says go, we will go,'' said Florida International University President Modesto ''Mitch'' Maidique.
That was echoed by Florida Atlantic University President Frank Brogan.
''If they mandate it, we set it,'' Brogan said.
But Florida State University President T.K. Wetherell didn't agree. He said FSU would only hike its tuition rates if the Legislature voted during the upcoming special session to raise the amount. Wetherell said unless lawmakers also approve a tuition hike, it is sure to be challenged by ``any first year law student.''
Former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham earlier this year filed a lawsuit that said the Board of Governors and not the Legislature has the power to raise tuition. The House and Senate are vigorously fighting the suit.
But the legal wrangling may not matter if lawmakers and Crist also agree to a tuition hike. House Republicans on Thursday unveiled their own budget plan for the upcoming session that calls for a 5 percent tuition hike.
Rep. Joe Pickens, a Palatka Republican and chairman of the House Schools and Learning Council, defended the proposed tuition increase and noted that Florida's tuition rates will still remain among the lowest in the nation.