Drugs, Alcohol & Mental Health Task Force: The Board will continue its focus on student safety and well-being, hearing updates on the implementation of various Board initiatives to address student mental health and substance abuse issues. Additionally the Board will hear presentations about the strategies the universities have enacted to address mental health concerns and about best practices regarding education, prevention, and treatment relative to student drug and alcohol use.
State University System Business Champion: LexisNexis and New College of Florida will present about an innovative partnership through the university’s Data Science program. Following the presentation, Board Chair Ned Lautenbach will recognize LexisNexis as a State University System Business Champion. The award was created by Chair Lautenbach to acknowledge businesses that have outstanding partnerships with the State University System. It is a part of the System’s Think Florida: A Higher Degree for Business initiative, which focuses on building synergies between universities and businesses.
Programs of Excellence: Following an initiative by the Florida Legislature to build on the System’s existing strengths, the Board will consider approval for its Programs of Excellence Report, which provides a framework for elevating distinctive research and academic programs.
University of South Florida Consolidation: The Board will hear an update on the progress of the USF Consolidation Planning Study and Implementation Task Force, which is charged with developing recommendations to improve service to students by phasing out the separate accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools Commission on Colleges. The Task Force is required to submit recommendations to the USF Board of Trustees by February 15, 2019, which then must adopt and submit a plan to the Board of Governors by March 15, 2019. The status report will be provided by the Task Force’s Chair, Dr. Jonathan Ellen, and Mr. Hal Mullis, a member of the USF Board of Trustees.
Two + Two Articulation: The Board will consider approval of a recommendation by the 2+2 workgroup to develop a comprehensive and easily accessible web-based 2+2 advising toolkit. The Board will also hear an overview of financial aid for transfer students.
Legislative Budget Requests: The Board will consider a variety of Legislative Budget Requests, including for Performance Funding and World Class Scholars.
Think Florida: The Board will hear from Cissy Proctor, director of the Department of Economic Opportunity, and Jerry Parrish, Chief Economist and Director of Research for the Florida Chamber Foundation, to discuss alignment of talent with Florida’s future workforce. The panel is a part of the state’s Think Florida: A Higher Degree for Business initiative.
*Reporter’s Note
The Board of Governors’ meeting will be held at New College of Florida in Sarasota, with committee meetings scheduled to begin September 12 at 12:30 p.m. The full Board meeting is scheduled to begin on September 13 at 2 p.m. Meeting times are subject to change. The full agenda and live streaming are available at flbog.edu. Updates are also available on Facebook and Twitter.
