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Highlights: Board of Governors Meeting, November 8-9

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Joined by U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta and three
new Board members, the Board of Governors this week took up
several important initiatives to advance the State University System.

The Board of Governors held its annual Trustee Summit this week and moved forward on several important proposals to push the State University System to the next level.
The Summit, an annual gathering of trustees from all 12 universities, included keynote speaker U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, who spoke about student apprenticeships. Trustees and Board of Governors’ members also took part in discussions about improving student outcomes, enhancing engagement with the business community, and effective trusteeship.
The Board also selected Vice Chair Ned Lautenbach as its new chair and Governor Sydney Kitson as its vice chair for the term beginning January 1, 2018 and ending December 31, 2019. They will succeed Chair Thomas Kuntz, whose two-year tenure has resulted in great strides for the System, including in his key focus areas of aligning degrees with the state workforce, enhancing 2+2 articulation, and raising the State University System’s research profile. U.S. News & World Report also named Florida the 2017 Best State for Higher Education.
“The past two years have been extremely rewarding as we have seen many of our goals for the System come to fruition,” Chair Kuntz said. “Serving as chair has been a great honor, and I’m confident the Board’s new chair and vice chair will continue the System’s trajectory toward excellence.”
Additional meeting highlights include:

  • The Board was joined by three new members. Governors Tim Cerio, Jay Patel, and Zach Zachariah were appointed recently by Governor Rick Scott.
  • Board members appointed 10 new universities trustees, including Ms. Kimberly Moore, FAMU, Mr. Brent Burns, FAU, Mr. Richard Eide, FGCU, Mr. Roger Tovar, FIU, Dr. Louis Saco, Florida Poly, Mr. Jim Henderson, FSU, Mr. George Skestos, New College, Ms. Beverly Seay, UCF, Dr. Anne Egan, UNF, and Ms. Suzanne Lewis, UWF. Appointments are subject to attending Board of Governors’ orientation, the Trustee Summit, and confirmation by the Florida Senate.
  • The Board approved a motion of support for FSU’s actions following last week’s student death, with the Board and universities reaffirming their commitment to work together and ensure that a campus culture of student safety and health is a top priority.
  • Universities and colleges are successfully closing workforce gaps in high-demand areas through the Targeted Educational Grant Program, known as the TEAm Grant initiative. The four teams, made up of universities and colleges, have met their enrollment and graduation goals, demonstrating their commitment to being good stewards of taxpayer dollars and meeting the needs of the workforce. The program is funded through $15 million in competitive grants allocated by the Governor and Legislature to address the state’s job needs.
  • The Board made updates to its performance funding model. The changes will take into account the cost for books when measuring average cost-to-the-student and changing the Board of Governors’ choice metric for UF, FSU and New College to the percentage of degrees awarded without excess credit hours.
  • Universities shared their plans for increasing police officers and mental health services on campus as part of a systemwide effort to ensure student safety and make sure students have access to the resources they need.
  • New College of Florida reported its progress on implementing its growth plan, which includes an enrollment increase to 1,200 students. The university received $5.4 million for the first installment of its plan during the 2016 legislative session.
  • The Board heard a progress report on the implementation of the 2025 Strategic Plan for Online Education, which was initially approved in November of 2015.
  • The Board approved its annual PECO list, with special priority on critical deferred maintenance.
  • The Board confirmed the reappointment of Larry Robinson as Interim President of FAMU. Additionally, the Board granted FAMU’s request for a waiver from the Board of Governors’ guideline requiring a national presidential search.

For more information, consult the meeting’s official minutes at http://www.flbog.edu/. The Board’s next meeting is scheduled for January 24-25 at Florida State University in Tallahassee.

Highlights: Board of Governors Meeting, August 30-31

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The Board of Governors discussed a progress report of the State University System’s  gains
toward its Strategic Plan Goals and heard from a Think Florida: A Higher Degree for
Business panel about the role universities can play in helping start-up companies succeed.

Reaffirming its commitment to accountability and efficiency, the Board of Governors this week advanced several initiatives to promote excellent student outcomes and ensure the State University System is meeting its Strategic Plan goals.
The Board discussed a progress report on the System’s achievements, which showed the System is on track to meet or surpass its goals on retention and graduation rates, degrees in areas of strategic emphasis and more. In the 2015-16 academic year, 86 percent of first-time-in-college students met the System standard for retention– an increase of 7 percentage points since 2005-2006. Similarly, over the past five years, four-year graduation rates have increased by 10 percent and six-year graduation rates have increased to rank Florida second among the 10 largest states. Meanwhile, the System has reached its goal four years early of meeting Florida’s demand for degrees in strategic areas, including STEM.
“Due to performance funding and other accountability initiatives, the State University System’s progress in recent years has truly been remarkable,” said Tom Kuntz, Board of Governors Chair. “We’ve seen nearly across-the-board improvement on several quality indicators, and we have every reason to believe our momentum will continue.”
During the meeting, the Board also received a visit from Senate President Joe Negron, who discussed his recently filed Senate Bill 4 and his commitment to the State University System and to students.
Additionally ,the Board also hosted a Think Florida: A Higher Degree for Business panel, which focused on the role that universities can play in boosting start-up companies. Panelists were Helena Cowley, CEO of Captozyme, and Sue Washer, CEO of AGTC, both of which develop therapies to treat various medical conditions, as well as UF Vice President for Research David Norton.
Chancellor Marshall Criser III, who moderated the discussion, also presented on the Board of Governors’ new ‘concierge’ website, which provides a single portal to recruit from all 12 public universities.
“Through Think Florida: A Higher Degree for Business, the Board of Governors is actively striving to learn more about the needs of our businesses and meet them where they are,” said Chancellor Criser. “We are using the feedback we receive from the business community to make sure our students are ready for the workforce and to provide the services that will help our businesses thrive.”
Additional meeting highlights include:

  • University of West Florida, University of Central Florida, Florida A&M University and Florida State University presented their Strategic Plans to the Board for approval.
  • The Board approved its 2018-2019 Legislative Budget Request, with a focus on performance funding and key System or state initiatives.

For more information, consult the meeting’s official minutes at http://www.flbog.edu/. The Board’s next meeting is scheduled for November 8-9 at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

HIGHLIGHTS: Board of Governors Meeting, March 29-30

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From data on student mental health to the Board of Governors’ first-ever
Annual Report for Online Education, the Board this week took up a number
of important initiatives during its meeting at Florida A&M University.

The Board of Governors this week pushed forward on several initiatives to ensure accountability and progress for the State University System and to make sure students are getting the resources they need to be successful. 

Those include approval of the Board’s Annual Accountability Report, which showed that universities demonstrated year-over-year improvement on six of the eight performance funding metrics that are shared by all universities. The Board’s new metric on cost to the student showed that the average cost of earning a bachelor’s degree is less than $15,000 after financial aid is taken into account. Additionally, the report shows that 34 degree programs were eliminated during the 2015-16 academic year. 

“The Annual Accountability Report is a critical part of the Board’s nationally recognized accountability system, and it plays a huge role in keeping us on track to meet our goals,” said Tom Kuntz, Board of Governors Chair. “Best of all, if you look at our remarkable improvement each year, it’s clear that our approach is working.” 

The Board also approved its first-ever Annual Report for Online Education, which documents the System’s progress toward the goals set out in the 2025 Strategic Plan for Online Education and identifies opportunities for improvements. Florida continues to be a leader in online education, ranking second in the nation in the number of students enrolled in distance learning courses. Sixty-one percent of State University System students took at least one distance learning course in 2015-16. 

“Florida is one of the first and only states to implement a Strategic Plan for Online Education, which  guides the growth of online education in the System and makes sure that our 12 institutions have high-quality and cost-efficient instruction and services,” said Ned Lautenbach, Board of Governors Vice Chair and Chair of the Innovation and Online Committee. “Our Annual Report shows that we are moving in the right direction to meet our goals.”

The Board also heard new data on student mental health, which included a steep increase in year-over-year demand for services. As an example, the number of crisis visits more than doubled from 4,200 to 9,100 between 2014-15 and 2015-16, and the number of Baker Act hospitalizations grew from 300 to 440. 

“Many of our students are dealing with serious and complex mental health issues, and we need to make sure that those who need counseling are able to access it quickly and without barriers,” said Norm Tripp, Chair of the Academic and Student Affairs Committee. “In some cases, counseling could make the difference in whether these students are able to graduate and go on to live healthy, productive lives.” 

The meeting also included a Think Florida: A Higher Degree for Business panel, including Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Director Cissy Proctor, Florida Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mark Wilson, and Florida Council of 100 President and CEO Bob Ward. The panel was moderated by Chancellor Marshall Criser III and included questions from Board members. 

“The business community is a critical partner for our universities, which is why we have ramped up our efforts to make sure we’re listening to employer needs,” Chancellor Criser said. “All three of our panelists came with great ideas and advice for our universities and students.”   

Additional meeting highlights include:

  • The State University System launched of the Safer, Smarter, Stronger campaign, designed to promote the State University System priorities on student mental health and security, university research, and performance funding.
  • The Task Force on University Research discussed the Research and Innovation Metrics Dashboard, designed to document the System’s progress toward its research goals. Additionally, the Board heard a presentation on the immediate and long-term impact of university research on the economic and social vitality of Florida.
  • The Board confirmed the appointment of Michael Martin as president of Florida Gulf Coast University, contingent on a revised employment agreement.
  • The Board confirmed the reappointment of University of South Florida President Judy Genshaft.
  • The Board appointed Dean Colson to Florida International University’s Board of Trustees. Mr. Colson previously served as chair of the Board of Governors and chair of the University of Miami Board of Trustees.
  • The Board approved the University of Central Florida Lake Nona Medical Center, a joint-venture between UCF’s College of Medicine and Hospital Corporation of America. No state funds will used for construction of what is proposed as an initial 100 bed hospital.

For more information, consult the meeting’s official minutes at http://www.flbog.edu/. The Board’s next meeting is scheduled for June 19-21 at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

Facts about the State University System of Florida and the Board of Governors
The State University System of Florida is a constitutional body led by the 17-member Board of Governors. The system has 12 universities and more than 338,000 students, making it the second-largest public university System in the nation. Responsibilities include defining the distinctive mission of each institution and managing the System’s coordination and operation. The Board appoints a Chancellor who serves as the System’s chief executive. For more, visit www.flbog.edu, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, or download the Board of Governors’ app.

Highlights from Board of Governors' Meeting, January 26

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Board Chair Tom Kuntz’s State of the System Address, a workshop on how to
strengthen Florida’s 2+2 Articulation Program, and a presentation on the
impact of student counseling services are among the highlights of the
January Board of Governors’ meeting at Florida Polytechnic University.

Joined by new Board member Sydney Kitson, the Board of Governors this week advanced a number of strategic initiatives designed to enhance accountability, make higher education more affordable, and ensure students have every opportunity to be successful.
Chair Tom Kuntz outlined the Board’s progress on those initiatives during his annual State of the System Address. In the past year, Florida has made strides toward aligning degrees with jobs, raising the State University System’s research profile and enhancing Florida’s 2+2 Program. Chair Kuntz also discussed the need for more mental health counselors on campuses due to the soaring demand.
“Florida universities consistently win awards for their quality and affordability, but there are also opportunities to spark meaningful improvements,” said Board of Governors’ Chair Tom Kuntz. “By focusing on enhancing the profile of our universities and helping our students succeed, we’re raising the value of a college degree from Florida despite remaining the lowest in the country on price.”
The Board also heard a presentation on the impact of campus mental health services, including increased academic success, improved mental and behavioral health, and reduced risk to self and others. Counseling centers also appear to have a positive impact on student retention and graduation.
“The need for mental health services around the country has simply outpaced the ability of our campuses to keep up,” said Norm Tripp, chair of the Board’s Academic and Student Affairs Committee. “Many of our students are coming to our counseling centers with very serious issues, and we want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to help them address those problems, graduate, and live productive lives.”
Other meeting highlights include:

  • The Board’s Select Committee on 2+2 Articulation discussed how to further strengthen Florida’s 2+2 Program for students who are transferring from state colleges to universities. Among other topics, the committee considered how to streamline the admissions processes between colleges and universities and ensure that credits transfer smoothly.
  • The Board approved a list of facilities to be included in its 2017 Legislative Budget Request, primarily focusing on maintenance and repair.
  • Vice Chancellor Jan Ignash presented on the work of the Strategic Planning Committee, which plays an enormous role in steering the State University System toward the state’s highest needs. The Committee’s work, which includes the 2025 Strategic Plan, the Annual Accountability Report, and University Work Plans, has been nationally recognized for its rigor.
  • As part of its Think Florida: A Higher Degree for Business campaign, the Board of Governors heard from John Townsend, vice president of T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. & T. Rowe Price Services, Inc. about his company’s many partnerships with USF.

For more information, consult the meeting’s official minutes at http://www.flbog.edu/. The Board’s next meeting is scheduled for March 29-30 at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee.
Facts about the State University System of Florida and the Board of Governors
The State University System of Florida is a constitutional body led by the 17-member Board of Governors. The system has 12 universities and more than 400,000 students, making it the second-largest public university system in the nation. Responsibilities include defining the distinctive mission of each institution and managing the system’s coordination and operation. The Board appoints a chancellor who serves as the system’s chief executive. For more, visit www.flbog.edu, visit Think-Florida.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Gov. Scott highlights 145 jobs at Best Home Services in Naples

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Governor Rick Scott announced today that Best Home Services, an air conditioning, electrical and plumbing company headquartered in Naples, has created 145 jobs with plans to create an additional 80 jobs this year.
Governor Scott said, “In Florida, we understand how important companies like Best Home Services are to creating new opportunities for our families. It is great to see so many people pursuing the American Dream in Southwest Florida thanks to the job they have with this great company. Just like Florida, Best Home Services is a true melting pot and has employees from nine countries, including Cuba, Puerto Rico and Mexico. I look forward to seeing Best Homes Services’ continued success right here in Florida.”
Keegan and Chadd Hodges, owners of Best Home Services said, “We are incredibly honored to be recognized by Governor Rick Scott and the State of Florida. Our family owned company is proud to be a leading home service provider in Southwest Florida. We are excited to grow our company even more in the next year and are truly blessed to have such a great team to help us achieve that goal.”
Best Home Services is a family owned and operated air conditioning, electrical, plumbing, and drains company headquartered in Naples. It has been voted one of the best in customer service in southwest Florida by several publications, including Angie’s List. Best Home Services also gives back to the community by investing in charitable organizations, including Habitat for Humanity and the Special Olympics.