A group of higher education and business leaders said in a report issued Monday that the state's colleges and universities should better coordinate on what they do, set goals for increased high-tech degree production, and that lawmakers should spend money on schools based on performance.
The report's call for additional coordination probably isn't a surprise, coming from a group called the Higher Education Coordinating Council. It set out in part to look for ways the state universities and the college system can better work together to improve access to degrees and improve the efficiency of the system for the state.
It began its work before Gov. Rick Scott took office, but the group' s recommendations mirror calls from Scott, who has said Florida's universities should focus more on production of degrees in science, technology, engineering and math, and has talked about university degrees as a commodity, with the consumer being the taxpayer who is paying for the university system, more so than the student.
The HECC offered several general recommendations for more central planning of the education system, looking at benefits to society of the system, and less of a free market-based approach, where degree production would be determined more by demand of students.
"Twenty-first century economic realities and the need for Florida to compete in attracting high-tech, high-wage jobs suggests that the state should leverage its resources to ensure that Florida's talent is developed and provided the tools to achieve lifetime learning and success," the report said. "The traditional charge of 'What is best for the student?' must now be expanded to include what is best for the taxpayer, the economy, and the state as a whole.
"This is also an opportunity to ensure the skills and knowledge imparted to students are consistent with the traditional values and ideals of public morality which are essential to the general welfare of the state and its citizens," the group said.
Which degrees might be consistent with public morality -- and perhaps more importantly, which ones aren't -- wasn't addressed in the group's report.
But the council said that the state's universities should identify their strengths and focus on them, funneling students in particular areas to a couple of strong institutions, rather than having all of the schools offer that program, for example.
HECC also said the council should get an annual list of prospective programs being planned, as a way to avoid duplication. And, whether those programs should start at all should be "guided by comparative cost analyses and employment demand," HECC said, echoing another idea put forth by Scott, who has said that degrees in areas that aren't promising in terms of jobs should be reduced.
The panel also suggested a new funding formula for the State University System and the Florida College System, based on "performance-based accountability," though the panel goes into little detail about that. Already, a small part of the state's work force education system is funded based on performance earmarks, but the university system has no such benchmarks that ultimately determine a university's appropriation.
Among its other recommendations in the report, the group said:
- Various elements of the education system should have goals for increased degree completion, with a particular emphasis on STEM degree production. Incentives should be provided to encourage STEM education.
- The Legislature should create authority for state colleges and universities to establish and have oversight of their own charter schools pre-K through 12.
- The Legislature should align financial aid and grant programs to encourage and accelerate access, graduation, and time-to-degree. The grants should be available for summer sessions.
The council said it will continue to meet next year.
