Remember all that talk about Florida's universities being an answer to the state's economic troubles? The New York Times points out that Florida lawmakers have a funny way of showing their commitment to that, with both the House and Senate now proposing big budget cuts to universities for the fifth year in a row.

Even so, it seems the state universities are doing a decent job with what they've got. A report from the Florida Board of Governors released this month shows that the system has a total economic impact of nearly $80 billion. 

The report says 7 percent of Florida's more than $700 billion gross domestic product is directly linked to the state university system. It employs more than 58,000 faculty and staff. And its graduates account for more than 771,000 Florida-based jobs, or 8 percent of Florida's total workforce.

See attached report for more details.