Friday, April 25, 2014

Alan Williams: FAMU-FSU proposal must be openly vetted, not rushed

Alan Williams represents District 8 (Gadsden County and parts of Leon County) in the Florida House of Representatives and is the House Democratic whip. Contact him at alan.williams@myfloridahouse.gov.   House photo by Meredith Geddings

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  It is the role of the State University System’s Board of Governors to review any changes to academic programs and offerings at state universities. This was a hard-fought settlement between the Legislature and the Board of Governors, placing the responsibility rightfully in the hands of those best equipped to make decisions regarding academics. The decision’s plausible and seemingly prophetic intent was to avoid politicizing higher education.

Recent actions create a slippery policy slope that lawmakers may not be able to recover from.

The proposal to create a new engineering program must allow inclusion and collaboration by stakeholders from both universities. Creation of a separate College of Engineering at Florida State University should be fully vetted by the process described in the settlement, not a budget amendment.

In government, process is everything. Changes in academic offerings and programs are definitely important enough for ...

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