State university presidents say they will likely cap enrollment, which would make it harder for students to make the cut.
By ANITA KUMAR
Published July 16, 2003
For the first time in more than a decade, the presidents of Florida's public universities said Tuesday they expect to cap student enrollment next fall.
The only question is where to draw the line.
The cap could freeze 2004 enrollment at this year's levels, shutting the door on tens of thousands of high school seniors. One school, Florida State University, says it may actually cut its freshmen ranks.
The presidents, who spoke by phone Tuesday, said they can't accept additional students if state lawmakers refuse to pay for them, which they did this year.
"It's a mess," said John Hitt, president of the University of Central Florida in Orlando. "None of us likes the idea of cutting enrollment. I don't want to deprive some young person."
The caps would not affect community college transfer students, who are guaranteed a spot under Florida law. And it's too early to say exactly where the cutoff points would fall, since they would vary at each of the state's 11 universities.
But one thing is clear: The caps would make it harder to get into a Florida school.
Rejected students would likely flood the state's community colleges, which already are suffering from budget cuts and skyrocketing enrollment. The 28 community colleges won't get state money for 150,000 to 180,000 new students this fall, which means many won't be able to get the classes they need.
"It exacerbates the problem," said Harry Albertson, executive director of the Florida Association of Community Colleges. "We don't like to be in a situation where we can't serve everyone. . . . I'm depressed over it."
The presidents expect to make a final decision on the caps at an Aug. 15 meeting in Orlando. By then, they will know whether state education officials will recommend paying for student growth next fall.
Florida's universities expect to shell out $66-million of their own money this year to cover the cost of educating 22,000 unfunded students. At least that many unfunded new students are expected in 2004.
"The message is that there is an enrollment crisis in higher education," said FSU president T.K. Wetherell. "We can't maintain the current pace. We are running out of space. We are running out of money."
"It's a very big concern to all of us," said Judy Genshaft, president of the University of South Florida, which enrolled almost 7,000 freshmen last fall. "We can't continue to accept more students than we have funding for."
The cap would be the first since the former Board of Regents voted to freeze enrollment in 1991. Under that limit, the universities admitted only as many new students as they had outgoing students.
Most Florida universities plan for enrollment growth every year. But some, like Florida International University in Miami, started to cut back a few years ago after the economy began to turn down.
Many of the universities also have increased class size, offered fewer courses and cut back on faculty hiring.
"We're concerned about quality," FIU provost Mark Rosenberg said. "It puts students at a competitive disadvantage."
Reporters and the public were left out of Tuesday's presidential conference call about the caps because there weren't enough phone lines to go around. But most officials reached later in the day, especially at the state's largest universities, said they support a cap in the absence of increased funding.
"If we go another year, we are going to be between a rock and a hard place," said John Cavanaugh, president of the University of West Florida in Pensacola.
William Merwin, president of Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, was the only president who said he opposes a cap.
"For me to slam the door, I'm very, very reluctant," Merwin said.
Student leaders are blaming the Legislature for the tough situation.
"It's very disheartening," said Scott Ross, executive director of the Florida Student Association, which lobbies lawmakers. "The Legislature needs to see the result of its failure to fund higher education."
University spending became one of the many issues that divided the House and Senate as they negotiated a state budget during their contentious legislative sessions.
Senate President Jim King, R-Jacksonville, whose chamber recommended funding student growth, said he predicted the enrollment problem.
"It's an absolute shame," King said. "This flies in the face of all we've been saying about making education more available."
House Speaker Johnnie Byrd, R-Plant City, said through a spokeswoman that he is confident university leaders will maximize their state dollars. But he didn't respond directly to questions about enrollment.
Gov. Jeb Bush said last month that he opposes enrollment caps.
"I hope the flexibility that they have and the reserves that they have will allow them to get through this year, just as we have had to do in state government," he said. "I think access to education is an important thing."
-Times staff writer Lucy Morgan contributed to this report.
