UF will cut jobs, slash enrollment

Wondering wrote:

So, the bigger question is: How does this trickle down? Should we assume other colleges are facing the same hardships and enrollment will go down overall, or will the community college enrollment increase? Can they support it? Wouldn't the same budget issues apply? Will we see more students going out of state or just not going to college at all?

There are PLENTY of other Florida colleges that students can apply to for admission. Unfortunately, they are not "party football schools." Ask most teenagers why they want to go to UF or FSU. A few might mention certain programs, but most will mention stadiums.

Pat wrote:

Here is an idea---stop spending so much money on athletics!!! You don't see anything about any of these overpriced coaches losing their jobs.

AMEN! And not just coaches! How many overpaid UF professors (some who CAN'T be fired) would never be able to hold a job in the "real world"? They "teach" a few classes a week and enjoy huge salaries and retirement benefits that most Floridians can only hope for. And the "product" they produce is often graduates who "earn" and degree and still know nothing. Someimes I think "higher education" is just a scam to perpetuate the "academic lifestyle" of university staff.

excellent idea, we can't have the football jocks eating less porterhouse steak while other students cannot go to state schools

Bittersweet wrote:

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Well, with all the morons getting into colleges because of their "mommy and daddy" connections, I don't necessarily agree with you. A local idiot lawyer who is on t.v. ALL the time had a son with a D average get into UF since he donated a large sum of money to get into the school.

if you say that about uf, what about the private school kids who only talk about going to ivy league, harvard, yale, stanford.....

I knew this crap was going to happen!!! We taxpayers in Florida have been sholdering a very heavy illegal alien burden and something had to give somewhere. I find it difficult to understand why we spend so much to support criminals and now our best and brightest may not be able to attend collage. We as a state and nation will pay a very heavy cost for this in the future. As the global market heats up, our kids are falling further behind. We are losing as a nation and a culture. What sorry leaders we have these days, SAD, SAD, SAD

I wasn't replying to you.

Robert wrote:

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I did disclose my source - see the link below. UF admits politically connected students (and professors) even if they are unqualified (no MCAT test.)
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20080418/N...

Sounds like someone is jealous. Didn't get in, did you? Have you not noticed that UF is always referred to as the "flagship" educational institution of the state of Florida?

Bittersweet wrote:

<quoted text>
There are PLENTY of other Florida colleges that students can apply to for admission. Unfortunately, they are not "party football schools." Ask most teenagers why they want to go to UF or FSU. A few might mention certain programs, but most will mention stadiums.

Athletics programs and coaches are funded by an entirely separate entity -- the University Athletic Association. One has nothing to do with the other. UAA gets many, many private donation to fund programs and pay coaches' salaries.

Pat wrote:

Here is an idea---stop spending so much money on athletics!!! You don't see anything about any of these overpriced coaches losing their jobs.

That isn't proof. The kid was likely lying to inflate his ego about how important he and his daddy are.

Bittersweet wrote:

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My source is the kid himself who personally told several of his teachers about it NOT in front of other students. Face it, even the "mighty" UF can do things like that. I can't think of a university that wouldn't. Of course, as you say, a kid with good SAT scores and academics may not be as successful as the above mentioned brat because his idiot father will have a cushy job waiting for him when he's done, whether he does a good job or not, he'll be making good money doing crap work.

You might be a redneck ....if...you go to school in Gainesville!

The State of Florida is broke. Just wait until the next 2 years as FL's prime source of revenue (property taxes) reflects the 30% drop in value which will bring tax receipts well below estimated levels. Combine this with a reduced sales tax collections, slowing commercial development, and you have major upcoming budget issues. The main payers into the system are tapped out. Bottom line is that EVERYONE needs to start contributing, if they expect services to be rendered. Simple economics.

Gabe

Careful -- you might use up that one brain cell coming up with that one.

Gayturdsblo wrote:

You might be a redneck ....if...you go to school in Gainesville!

Ridiculous wrote:

Sounds like someone is jealous. Didn't get in, did you? Have you not noticed that UF is always referred to as the "flagship" educational institution of the state of Florida?
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I didn't even apply to UF. I had no desire to live in Gainesville. I was accepted at EVERY college I applied to which included UM, UCLA, and USF. You sound like a typical obnoxious Gator who ruins it for the rest of the UF graduates by acting like a moron, which is one more reason I didn't have any desire to even apply there.

Ridiculous wrote:

That isn't proof. The kid was likely lying to inflate his ego about how important he and his daddy are.
<quoted text>

Yes, I forgot. UF is perfect and never lets anyone in who doesn't belong there. Oh wait! Did you go there? Then my case is null and void. With people like you acting like an overly defensive baby about your school, no wonder people want to become 'Noles.

So UF comes out of the gates first and most of you just argue semantics.
May I urge a larger picture....
Regardless of institution, all State schools are going to suffer. If and when this happens, the trickle down affect shall occur and the Community College system will suffer. After a year or so when students who graduate from CC cant get into the 4 year they are trying for, they will offer word of mouth and may aide in destroying what has been created.
The State of Florida is in a bad way financially. Wherever you place that blame is your choice, but worse than all of that, is the issue of education and its place in the lives of our population.
Lets start bottom up and restructure it all, so we can get the kids back to learning, and the teachers teaching/researching and push this State right way up. There is a way, as a population how about we figure out how to do it.
And FYI I am an FSU grad...not a gator Lover, and this is a State Issue, not an Orange/Blue one.

Sorry, but being accepted to Miami and USF is nothing to brag about really. UCLA is only somewhat impressive because we would be out of state applicants. My bet is you did not apply to UF because you knew you wouldn't get in.

Not Thrilled wrote:

<quoted text>
I didn't even apply to UF. I had no desire to live in Gainesville. I was accepted at EVERY college I applied to which included UM, UCLA, and USF. You sound like a typical obnoxious Gator who ruins it for the rest of the UF graduates by acting like a moron, which is one more reason I didn't have any desire to even apply there.

Always the best way to deal with short run problems is to mortgage your future. We don't expect the state government to be more far sighted do we?

Why should people NOT vote for BUSH/MCCAIN-style Republicans? Well... they have:

... CONSISTENTLY blocked support for education

...ALLOWED OIL COMPANY MERGERS again and again, so that now there’s no real competition, which is part of why gasoline is now NEAR $4.00/GALLON.

...done NEARLY NOTHING ABOUT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION because they want big companies to have lots of cheap labor available. Now with less than six months before the elections, Bush’s INS has finally conducted a few raids.(ILLEGAL immigration should be stopped no matter what country people are coming in from.)

...spent OVER FIVE HUNDRED BILLION DOLLARS IN IRAQ, and accomplished very little (except killing thousands and generally make a huge mess with no end in sight). Oh, and Bin Laden was IN AFGHANISTAN and is apparently STILL RUNNING AROUND LOOSE. Spending BILLIONS and BILLIONS while allowing giant tax loopholes to the richest Americans and huge corporations has destroyed the value of the dollar, RAISING THE COST OF EVERYTHING.

...set up a system for TORTURING SUSPECTED TERRORISTS, the LIED and said that we don’t torture.

...FAILED to provide proper armor for tanks used by our service men and women in Iraq.

...MIS-MANAGED the Veterans’ Administration hospitals, providing substandard treatment to our soldiers.

...WAITED ABOUT FOUR DAYS TO REACT TO HURRICANE KATRINA. On the day Katrina came ashore, Bush was sharing CAKE with John McCain at a FUNDRAISING EVENT (see the picture at http://www.newsweek.com/id/133551 ) While people were still clinging to rooftops, do you remember Bush saying,“Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job”?

Had enough? I hope you’ll vote for ANYONE BESIDES McCAIN, and contribute whatever you can to stop the Republicans. www.democrats.org www.barackobama.com

If you INSIST on voting for a conservative, may I suggest you pick a REAL one who is less angry and maybe under 70 years old. Conservatives on the FAR RIGHT have another choice this year:

Chuck Baldwin - www.constitutionparty.com/

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I hope you’ll vote for ANYONE BESIDES McCAIN, and contribute whatever you can to stop the Republicans. www.democrats.org www.barackobama.com

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at least they have a nice new football stadium

Just a bunch of smelley hillbillies in Gainesville