Rosenberg addresses tuition at State House Education Committee

By: Michael Finch II/Contributing Writer

University President Mark Rosenberg appeared before the State House Education Committee on Jan. 19 where he responded to issues brought up regarding tuition.

“I can’t say I’m enthusiastic about raising tuition up to the national average over the next three years,” Rosenberg said. “I’m not convinced that the financial aid would be there to reduce the difficulty and the pain.”

For hours, a group of state legislators sat transfixed last week, as presidents from the 11 state-funded universities pitched their future needs in higher education.

The one hallmark subject: tuition.

Early last week, presidents of both the University of Florida and Florida State University appeared before to push for higher tuition.

State university tuition is currently a little over $5,000 per semester, while the national average hangs around $8,244 for in-state public four-year universities, according to the College Board.

But raising tuition, remains a puzzling, but salient question for the State Legislature and the universities, while cuts to Pell Grants loom in Washington D.C.

Higher education saw major changes from a bill passed during the 2011 legislative session. The most far-reaching was the required submission of a Free Application for Federal Student Aid to be eligible for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship.

The matching grant program was also suspended, a three-decade old measure that matched certain types of fundraising for state schools.

The exchanges between Rosenberg and Vice Chairwoman, Rep. Janet Adkins, got uneasy after the benefits some students receive under both Bright Futures and the Florida Prepaid College Plan were called the “Lexus award.”

Rep. William Proctor the chairman of the House Education Committee made the “Lexus award” statement, suggesting that given Florida’s low tuition rate, students who receive both awards are free to spend thousands of government dollars on a Lexus car.

Adkins later asked Rosenberg whether he also considered the combination of need-based Pell Grants and Bright Futures as the “Lexus-buying plan?”

Almost 50 percent of students at FIU receive the federally funded Pell grants and 25 percent receive the maximum $5,550, Rosenberg said.

“There is an overlap––the ‘Lexus model’ isn’t necessarily my example. I know it does occur,” Rosenberg said. “That problem may go away as we’re forced to drive up tuition to stay competitive.”

In a released statement, Rep. Proctor said the committee is beginning to sift through the information each university submitted.

“Any future reforms must strike the right balance between moving Florida’s entire university system forward and allowing each institution to fulfill its individual mission,” Proctor said.