Peter Schorsch
Halfway through this 2020 Legislative Session, the surprise proposal to merge the very well-regarded Florida Polytechnic University and New College into the University of Florida and Florida State University, respectively, fails close scrutiny on many levels.
This sweeping proposal to dramatically overhaul Florida’s nationally recognized and highly ranked State University System seemingly came out of nowhere this week.
First reported by Florida Politics, the proposal includes language that would end Florida Polytechnic University and New College of Florida as we know them. Well-intentioned as the proposal may be, it represents an undeserved and direct assault on Florida’s youngest and smallest state universities. Understandably it has hit like a bombshell, especially in the Lakeland and Sarasota regions of the two very different but very unique institutions.
Under the proposal, the Lakeland campus of Florida Poly – established in 2012 to develop the state’s future scientists and engineers – would become a satellite campus of the University of Florida, while Sarasota-based New College, the state’s Honors College, would become part of Florida State University.
The leading voice in support of the legislation is Rep. Randy Fine, an intelligent, bold, and (mostly) reasonable lawmaker who says the measure would save taxpayers money by reducing administrative overhead. His main argument is that the cost-per-student at each small university is a great deal higher than for their counterparts throughout the rest of the State University System.
While that shallow statistic may be true at first look, it doesn’t come close to telling the whole remarkable story of these schools.
Florida Poly was created to be laser-focused on top-level STEM education – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. While UF (and other schools) have excellent engineering programs, Florida Poly truly pushes the boundaries of research and applied science, allowing its small student body to work closely with a world-class faculty.
New College is equally unique, but with an entirely different mission – preparing intellectually curious students for lives of great achievement in a rigorous but flexible learning environment. New College produces more Fulbright scholars per capita than Harvard or Yale, for example.
When two previous mostly Republican Legislatures decided to create and designate these universities as independent, lawmakers reasoned that Florida’s future will be that much better off for having the best thinkers and the best STEM graduates involved in getting there.
This proposed committee bill zeroes in on only one statistic: cost per student, essentially measuring the size of the school’s budget divided by how many students it has. It doesn’t say anything about tuition costs for students, average debt coming out of school, employability of graduates, quality of programs, or any other factors that really matter to students, parents, state lawmakers, taxpayers, and the future. The proposal also ignores the significant economic impact these smaller universities have on their communities, regions and our state – completely omitting any facts or math that accurately undermine the flawed reasoning in this institutional raid.
In effect, economies of scale don’t work and should not apply in cases such as this where there are large “sunk costs” simply for existing. “Cost per student” becomes nothing more than a simple measure of campus size. So it isn’t surprising that small, specialized schools would come out unfavorably when compared to flagship universities with 30,000-plus students. But it’s not a fair comparison and it ignores too many other vitally important facts and truths.
Certainly, operating niche schools isn’t cheap. So what do Florida taxpayers get for their investment?
It turns out Florida Poly provides quite a nice return on investment. On a level that really counts, Florida Poly is actually the most affordable public university in Florida, with lower tuition and fees than all the rest. You’d expect a smaller university to have higher staff-to-faculty ratios than larger comprehensive universities, but Florida Poly’s is actually lower than the systemwide average, and still falling. And with student debt weighing so heavily on the younger workforce, Florida Poly proudly boasts that fewer than one-third of its graduates have student debt.
You can’t really put a dollar value on fostering great leaders. That’s why it really isn’t fair to suggest that any single metric – in this case, cost per student – should be the basis for deciding whether these two unique institutions deserve to remain independent.
It’s better to view these schools on factors of performance – on measures that should actually be compared. One of the reasons Florida’s higher ed system is so highly regarded is for the quality and diversity of its programs and institutions.
These small schools, on the factors that matter, punch well above their weights – like renowned boxing champion “Sugar” Ray Leonard. And they deserve the state’s trust to stay in the ring under their independent flags.
11 comments
Thomas Knapp
February 11, 2020 at 6:24 pm
The plan doesn’t go far enough. If we’re going to let the state continue operating universities, there should be the University of Florida, and satellite campuses thereof. Anything else is added bureaucracy for the illusion of difference.
Besides, who needs the Seminoles when we already have the Gators?
steve grabarczyk
February 11, 2020 at 8:46 pm
LOL Randy Fine, enough said. Fine is a joke.
Kade Ross
February 12, 2020 at 1:28 pm
It costs 6.5x more per student at Poly as pointed out this morning at the public meeting held. A huge percentage of that is administrative costs. Which is absurd.
mike
February 12, 2020 at 1:34 pm
You didn’t read the article, did you? Breaking it down to just that number, based on the smaller campus size, isn’t really a fair or logical comparison.
InmanRoshi
February 12, 2020 at 2:56 pm
Gambling Industry Exeuctive wants Florida Kids to go through UF’s Drive-Thru to get their #2 McDegree Dollar Menu Item, hold the math and statistics.
Steph
February 12, 2020 at 9:34 pm
Yes, let’s erase a school featured in “40 Schools That Change Lives”. NCF produces more Full right Scholars per capital than Stanford. Jeez. Do they need a football team or a sex scandal to be valued in this state?
Cary
February 13, 2020 at 7:56 pm
FL Poly is the only stem-exclusive Public State University in Florida. If we want to attract more manufacturing in FL we need qualified engineers and computer scientists, etc. If they want to lower costs per student they need to EXPAND enrollment, not dissolve the school! As a previous reader commented, why not consolidate ALL Florida Universities into ONE if that’s the objective. This is an unfair takeover for the larger universities to increase their funding. As a FL Poly parent, we are extremely concerned that STEM instruction is not prioritized on the state of FL -???
Marcelle Adkins
February 14, 2020 at 3:12 pm
In addition, New College of Florida was ranked #1 in the USA in producing the highest % of PhDs of public schools, with 18.1% of its graduates earning PhDs for the 2012-17 time period. New College’s number 1 ranking places it above Cal Berkeley and Georgia Tech, and many other fine schools. As a PhD in economics myself, I value this highly as does our son, a current double major at New College, majoring in Applied Mathematics and Computer science, as our son. intends to earn his PhD as well.
No other school in the state can compete w New College with respect to preparation for advanced degrees.
Michael Smith
February 23, 2020 at 10:21 am
I want to hear more about this Randy Fine. What’s his game here? Cui bono, as I was taught to ask during my own undergrad years at New College, which gave me as good an education as my brain was able to take in. In later years, in New York, it became clear that the proper English translation of this phrase is “follow the money”.
Marcelle Adkins
February 23, 2020 at 2:02 pm
Michael Smith. I am, like you, left scratching my head on Randy Fine but I can tell you a little bit.
A tiny bit of internet research taught me he was born in 1974, raised in Arizona, attended Harvard for undergrad and business school and then worked in the casino industry. I have no idea what he does now, professionally.
I also know he is my personal representative but has ignored my many emails and phone calls, well known in South Brevard for ignoring his constituents.
I still scratch my head as to what motivates him. True, he is a newcomer to our great State. But being a newcomer does not excuse ignorance. All legislators are given the Florida in the Sunshine manual. Does he not know our history? Does he not know the spirit and story behind the law?
Like Randy, I am a carpetbagger. My family moved here in 1967 when I was 7 years old. Those were the days of Lawton Chiles and other leaders movement for open government in the Sunshine. We as a State stood proud and unified in the “rightness” of this new law. Gone were the secret back room deals. Open government reigned. We became collaborative.
Shortly after, our beloved Lawton walked the state, from the Panhandle to the Keys, truly caring about all of us. Speaking to us. Shaking our hands. And in 1970, he proudly introduced Florida’s fine plan, our righteous, just, fair and beloved Government in the Sunshine to Washington.
Rightness is not hard. Every human inherently knows the difference between right and wrong. Every Floridian knows his heritage—- and if not must be taught. And taught well.
What Thomas Jefferson said when the Constitutional Convention began in secrecy he would decry here. So would Lawton. So do I
To plan for and spring on the legislature the elimination of New College and Florida Polytechnic mid-session with no public knowledge or discussion, no information to or input from any of the colleges of universities affected is “ an abdominal precedent!”
“Nothing can justify this example but the innocence of their intentions and the ignorance of the value of public discussion.”
Michael Smith
February 24, 2020 at 12:18 am
As always in Florida, one suspects a real-estate scheme. I don’t know anything about Poly, but New College sits on some prime land. My best guess is that the plan to fold these campuses into the larger system is a prelude to shuttering them altogether, and making some characteristically Floridian corrupt deal with a developer for the land.
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