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Educational upgrade: MBA programs in Florida
Florida Trend Exclusive
Educational upgrade: MBA programs in Florida
MBA programs across Florida are adapting to the changing needs of students and employers by developing niche studies to build deep expertise in a variety of sectors. It’s rare for an MBA program to have a former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services on its faculty, but how about two? Students enrolled in the University of Miami’s Health Management & Policy MBA can take classes taught by Donna Shalala and Alex Azar. [Source: Florida Trend]
Economist Sean Snaith says education continues to impact wage gap in Florida
Across the U.S, March 14 is Equal Pay Day, symbolizing how far into the year woman have to work in order to make what their male colleagues earned the previous year. The National Partnership for Women and Families reports that the annual gender wage gap in Florida is $9,240. But UCF economist Sean Snaith said that data can sometimes be distorted. [Source: WMFE]
Florida universities provide little gender-affirming care, reports show
Gender-affirming health care makes up a fraction of the caseloads in medical facilities run by Florida’s public universities, according to records that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ budget office ordered the schools to turn over in January. The order has been a topic of high interest across the state, inspiring student protests and frequent remarks by the governor. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Florida audit shows issues with charter school management and transparency
A recent Florida audit of the state’s charter school administration still shows a lack of oversight and business dealings that could be seen as conflicts of interest. The Florida Auditor General recently released a follow-up report into the day-to-day management and transparency of charter schools in the Sunshine State and there were several issues that still needed to be addressed. According to Florida law, charter schools are required to be organized and/or operated by a nonprofit organization or a public entity and as such are able to access a range of Federal education programs. [Source: The Center Square]
Florida universities told to hand over more records, this time on union talks
Florida officials have been on a public records binge, hitting state universities with requests for information as they push for major changes to higher education. First came a late-December demand for details on diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Then universities were told in January to turn over records on any gender-affirming health care they provided over the last four years. The latest request — for collective bargaining records — has some faculty concerned that their contracts with universities may be the next linchpin of academia to be targeted by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican lawmakers. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› New study shows Florida drivers zoom through school zones
A bill that would use cameras to make sure drivers pump the brakes in school zones is speeding through committee, and a new study shows it could make an immediate impact. The legislation (SB 588) sponsored by Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez would authorize local governments to set up camera-enforced “speed detection systems” within school zones, either on their own or by contracting with a third party.
› Colleges in other states say their doors are open to New College students amid changes
Hampshire College of Massachusetts, known for its progressive, iconoclastic approach to higher education, is offering admission and a tuition match to all students at New College of Florida, a school with a similar philosophy that is being overhauled by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the conservative leaders he appointed to run it.
› Florida legislature to consider later school start times
Legislators are now considering a bill that would roll school start times to later in the day. HB733 has the ultimate goal of making sure children get the recommend 8 to 9 hours of sleep they need nightly to grow. Locally, most schools start between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. Citing evidence from the American Association of Pediatrics, sleep depravation in adolescents is considered an important public health issue that is linked to health, safety and academic success.
› Tensions boiled over in higher education meeting Monday in the Legislature
More than 150 people came to a committee meeting Monday to express their concerns and fears related to changes in college majors and minors for students and concerns about tenure for professors in Florida. The three-hour meeting was tense from the start, when Rep. Lauren Melo of Southwest Florida, who chairs the subcommittee, let the audience know that people pursuing public comments would get only 30 seconds, though the issues were piling up over what’s happening in Florida’s public community colleges and universities.
Previous Education Updates:
- Florida's 2023 Legislative Session begins with lawmakers emphasizing education changes
- Florida college enrollment won't hit pre-pandemic level within next 6 years
- Florida home schoolers want no part in voucher expansion bill
- DeSantis suggests he will seek alternatives to the College Board
- Why some Florida schools are removing books from their libraries
- DeSantis proposes sweeping higher education measures aimed at ‘indoctrination'
- ‘Our children are at stake:' Teacher shortage in Florida among worst in the nation
