Universities do more than train students to get jobs, and Gov. Rick Scott's Degrees to Jobs summit last week rekindled the debate about emphasizing job training at the expense of a liberal arts education to produce informed, well-rounded citizens. But the governor's enthusiasm for readying students to enter the workforce as soon as possible produced several good ideas. Expanding scholarship money to cover summer tuition and reducing fees for online classes are practical ways to support students trying to graduate on time.
The governor's proposals come as fewer than half of undergraduates at state schools graduate within four years. The number of students paying surcharges for taking extra credits, a penalty schools impose to encourage quicker graduation and reduce campus overcrowding, doubled last year. So it makes sense to look for practical ways to smooth the path to graduation and reduce student costs.
Scott's conference of business and university leaders should have included faculty members to round out the conversation. But some proposed policies are commendable efforts to help students knock out their requirements in less time. Scott wants the Legislature to expand the Bright Futures scholarship — a merit-based program that awarded money to nearly 130,000 students in the 2014-15 school year — to include summer classes. Most undergraduates at Florida universities are required to take nine summer credit-hours to graduate, but the scholarship only funds fall and spring tuition. Top-level Bright Futures recipients use the scholarship to cover a large portion of their tuition. Easing that cost would allow more students to take more summer classes rather than needing a fifth year to finish their degree. And those who are on track to graduate on time could take their nine summer hours in one season rather than spreading the cost over multiple summers. Another proposal would cut the additional fees charged for online classes. That would add further flexibility to students' paths to graduation.
Shifting costs of online and summer courses away from students will require more investment from the state. The amount of Bright Futures aid given out in 2014-15 was the lowest amount since 2004 and went to the fewest students since 1998. Incoming Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, has promised to make higher education a top priority — a welcome change after years of state spending cuts, little maintenance money and plenty of pressure to graduate students faster.
Universities instill creativity, enable critical thinking, cultivate passions and expand students' views of their world. Those goals should not be lost in the mission to prepare students for the world. At the same time, Scott's recommendations can help students save time and money as they work toward their degrees — and legislators should allocate the money to make them happen.