Prometheus 6

Report: College access gap looms in Fla.
Minority students' access to colleges in Florida could take a major hit in the next few years if the state doesn't improve funding, a new report said.
BY OSCAR CORRAL

Budget cuts and chronic underfunding have left Florida's university system on the brink of a crisis that could leave tens of thousands of students without access to a college education, according to a report by a group that monitors state universities.

The report by ENLACE Florida says the recent decision by the state Board of Governors to freeze growth in freshman enrollment for three years, followed by the possibility of enrollment cuts, ''will create a significant college access gap.'' ENLACE Florida is a network of state university faculty members that researches and promotes college access for minorities.

ENLACE Executive Director Paul Dosal said the consequences of the state's tightfistedness with higher education are now becoming evident.

''We've reached a breaking point,'' said Dosal, a University of South Florida history professor. ``We need to stop and think about how we are doing this.''

Enrollment is set to shrink at a time when the state's population is growing, the report says. Florida already ranks last in the nation in its student-to-faculty ratio of 31-1. The national average, the report said, is 25-1.

In addition, total state funding per full-time student, adjusted for inflation, has dropped from just more than $14,000 in 1990 to only $10,700 this year, the report says.

''A decade of state underfunding, combined with underfunded enrollment increases, has put Florida's state universities and community colleges on the brink of a deep and serious crisis,'' the report said.

The report urges Gov. Charlie Crist, House Speaker Marco Rubio and Senate President Ken Pruitt to convene a ''higher education summit'' to tackle the problem.