Provide Appropriate and Predictable Funding
Funding per student is a key measure of support for Florida's public universities. During the past two decades, it has plummeted by more than 20 percent in inflation-adjusted funding per student. Declining funding has undermined quality and the ability to plan. Florida now ranks last nationally in the ratio of students to tenured and tenure-track faculty. The Board of Governors is commited to work with the Governor and the Legislature to secure appropriate and predictable funding to improve the State University System to:
- Expand need-based financial aid to undergraduate students to improve access and affordability.
- Increase total funding to the level necessary to ensure that students have access to a high-quality undergraduate education comparable to that available at peer institutions nationally, as evidenced by such indicators as reduced student-faculty ratios, adequate numbers of courses, and adequate numbers of advisors to facilitate successful progression to a timely graduation.
- Develop a predictable enrollment growth funding formula that promotes access to and expansion of the State University System.
- Develop a revised funding formula that rewards retention and graduation.
- Develop a funding plan for targeted state investment in graduate program development, research, and commercialization based on the state's economic development plan and the Board of Governors Strategic Plan.
