THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, June 21, 2016……….Incoming Senate President Joe Negron addressed members of hawaii university system’s Board of Governors, reiterating intentions to bolster school throughout his two-year term and asking their aid in putting “the last touches” on his agenda.
The Stuart Republican repeated his goals — outlined inside of a December speech upon his designation because the next Senate leader — of helping state universities go on to “national elite” status, shoring up their infrastructure and ensuring “financial insecurity” doesn’t prevent Florida students from completing degrees in regular basis at state schools.
He also repeated his pledge to the office toward a billion-dollar boost in higher-education funding during his Senate presidency, that is certainly slated to get started following the November elections.
Additionally, Negron explained — reacting to a question from Board of Governors member Dean Colson — that he sees a bright line between the board’s role in governance along with the Legislature’s role in appropriating money.
Colson noted the Board of Governors disburses or withholds certain funds based on the performance of human universities.
“And when I’m a college president or chair of any board of trustees, I’m on it saying, ‘The simplest way that i can bypass all this is a representative to get an appropriations chair or speaker of the property or even a Senate president,’ ” Colson said. “That occurs a lot, There’s no doubt that. Are there any advice for us in order to handle that?”
“I’m pretty jealous in protecting the appropriations process and our ability as the Legislature to make decisions with what buildings to make, what particular programs to remain funded,” Negron replied. “I’d like to see this as a partnership, but – I do think we have now different roles.”
For instance, he stated, lawmakers won’t be checking using the Board of Governors before, say, allocating money for any new student center with the University of West Florida.
“I’m happy with the actual system,” Negron said. “I’m staying from governance. I hope that we’ll communicate. – However could not need to toss in the towel our role to ultimately create the budget decisions.”
As to web based courses, that your Board of Governors continues to be expanding, Negron had some reservations.
“Let’s you have to be cautious,” he said. “Learning is actually a communal exercise. -There is value in being in a very classroom setting and sitting at the side of smart people in the country, using their company places worldwide, who completely understand the world differently than you (and) have different opinions.”
He warned that “you can’t purchase an entire university education on the internet are function as same quality” like a combined classroom an internet-based courses.
“This concept that the computer has replaced how we learn as a whole – I reject that premise,” he stated.
Negron and persons in the Board of Governors referred often to his April tour on the 12 universities during the state system, which confirmed his affinity for beefing up merit-based scholarships for instance Bright Futures and need-based scholarships like the Florida Student Assistance Grants.
He stated that when students must work 40 if not more hours every week while while attending college, that affects the four-year graduation rate. He added that his goal is perfect for students to not ever face financial barriers to go colleges where they are accepted should they work part-time in addition to their families bring about the price tag on their degrees.
