College athlete pay rules move forward in Florida

With a Florida law set to go into effect July 1 to allow college athletes to profit from their names, images and likenesses, the state university system’s Board of Governors has begun the process of adopting regulations to carry it out. The board on Tuesday agreed to begin a 30-day period for the public to comment on the new rules. After that, the regulations can come back to the board for final approval at a June 22 meeting. [Source: News Service of Florida]

DeSantis signs $200 million expansion in Florida for private school vouchers

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed into law a $200 million school choice plan that will pave the way for some 61,000 new students to become eligible for taxpayer-funded vouchers that will help families pay for private tuition and other education expenses. The measure is a continuation of a decades-long push to expand school choice in Florida, a move Republicans support and most Democrats have fought as they advocate for more oversight and accountability for private schools that get state-funded vouchers. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Florida Trend Exclusive

FSU research team turns plant material into larger capacity batteries

By incorporating lignin — an organic compound in the cell walls of plants that makes them rigid — the team has created a type of electrolyte compound, says professor Hoyong Chung. Electrolytes, which separate the negative and positive terminals of a battery, can be either liquid or solid, and each type has its strengths and weaknesses. “Liquid electrolytes are good conductors of ions, but solid electrolytes are typically safer, stronger and can be used at higher temperatures than liquid versions,” says Chung. [Source: Florida Trend]

College COVID vaccines: Increasingly likely Florida students will be allowed to skip vaccination

The first Florida university that said it would require COVID-19 vaccines backed down and reversed course last week. Nova Southeastern University had said mandatory vaccinations were the way to return to normal, so what will campus life look like now? The private institution, with a campus in Clearwater, was planning a return to full in-person learning. But now, according to its website, COVID-19 restrictions will not be rolled back “if NSU does not reach the voluntary threshold goal of 80%” vaccination. [Source: WFLA]

Florida lawmakers cut two financial programs for college students

During the recently concluded 2021 legislative session, members of the Florida House and Senate decided to get rid of two tuition assistance programs. Combined, the moves save $42 million — but may come at a cost to thousands of students. While the planned elimination of the Access to Better Learning and Education (ABLE) program saves $5 million, the cutting of a $600 textbook stipend that Bright Futures recipients received every year saves $37 million. [Source: WUSF]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Florida Tech's Funk textile museum to become esports arena, generating mixed reviews [Florida Today]
Florida Institute of Technology officials are remodeling the shuttered Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts into what they hope will be one of America's top esports arenas, with plans to attract competitive video gamers to the STEM-centric university. But the esports transition has outraged Funk's relatives — "she would be rolling in her grave," said Funk's daughter, Viera resident Sue Bayly.

› USF’s first in-person graduation in a while brings back some normalcy [Tampa Bay Times]
With less pomp and more circumstance, graduates of the University of South Florida turned their tassels and closed the books together on a final year of their college experiences that was spent mostly apart. About 3,000 of the 7,200 graduates this year were expected to participate in the two in-person ceremonies held Saturday at Tropicana Field. Those who chose not to attend will be invited to participate in the make-up ceremonies planned for later this year to honor 2020 graduates who got no in-person sendoff.

› Florida State poised to select next president. Nine are on short list. [Tampa Bay Times]
A search committee looking for the next president of Florida State University on Tuesday developed a short list of nine candidates that includes state education commissioner Richard Corcoran. The committee chose Corcoran and the others from a candidate pool of 22 people. Two other high-profile candidates — Frank Brogan and Jeff Kottkamp, who served terms as Florida lieutenant governor — did not make the list.

› Florida Coastal suspended from federal student loan program [Jakcsonville Daily Record]
Florida Coastal School of Law says a “procedural matter” resulted in its termination from the federal student loan program, triggering the process for closing the school. By direction of the American Bar Association, Florida Coastal submitted a teach-out plan May 7 that would allow the school to maintain its accreditation while its students are allowed to transfer to other accredited law schools to complete their education.