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2019 Aspen Prize awarded to two Florida colleges

2019 Aspen Prize awarded to two Florida colleges

The annual prize once described as “the Oscars for great community colleges” was awarded on Tuesday to two Florida institutions: Indian River State College and Miami Dade College. Florida has a history of winning the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. The first Aspen Prize was given to Valencia Community College, in Orlando, in 2011; the third went to Santa Fe College, in Gainesville. And this year Broward College, in Fort Lauderdale, was also a finalist. The winners will receive $350,000 each, and the finalists $100,000 each. See the announcement and read more from the Chronicle of Higher Education and Community College Daily.

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» Three Florida Colleges Named Prestigious Aspen Prize Finalists

With teachers in short supply, should Florida make it easier for them to get the job?

Florida has a well-documented teacher shortage. It also has a test that many aspiring teachers have found to be a stumbling block as they try to enter the profession. State lawmakers say they want to help fix both problems. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Florida’s budget battleground: universities

With spending problems at Florida universities drawing scrutiny — and the resignation of the University of Central Florida’s president — higher education dollars are emerging as a battleground for state House and Senate budget writers. Dueling state spending blueprints set for votes this week in the House and Senate take vastly different approaches to financing Florida’s universities and colleges. [Source: Ocala Star-Banner]

DeSantis taps UF environment director Tom Frazer as Florida's first chief science officer

Florida's first chief science officer is an experienced researcher and ecologist who said he plans to focus on water-quality issues as soon as he starts his new position. Tom Frazer has been the director of the University of Florida's School of Natural Resources and Environment since 2013 and was interim director for a year before that. [Source: TCPalm]

2 board members resign from Florida Virtual School

Two members of the board that oversees the Florida Virtual School resigned on Tuesday, the latest in a series of leadership changes at the school after an investigation last year into Frank Kruppenbacher, who resigned as general counsel, and the recent death of President Robert Porter. [Source: ]

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New College’s quirks have long been its strongest selling point, but increased competition, political polarization and aging facilities are making it a tougher sell with prospective students. The school is shrinking, despite being in the third year of a growth plan with the goal of hitting 1,200 students by 2023, and receiving more than $9 million from the state to get there.

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