Performance money ready to flow to Florida universities

was revised to reward schools emphasis on advising stu- performance funding for the that serve large numbers of dents and helping them find first time. But this year, it economically disadvantaged academic pathways that will moves back to the “bottom ORLANDO — The Florida students, reflected by those allow them to graduate on three” on the list, meaning Board of Governors on Thurs- receiving federal Pell grants. time, Rosenberg said. The it will not receive any state day approved the distribuThe University of Florida school has also stepped up performance money, but it tion of $560 million in annual was at the top of the fund- its efforts to provide finan- will have $3.9 million in instiperformance funding for 11 ing list with $110.6 million, cial aid, including initiatives tutional performance funds. state universities, and, as including $57.6 million in aimed at first-generation colWinning the tiebreaker usual, there were winners state performance funding. lege students and students moved Florida Gulf Coast and losers. Last year, UF received just from homeless families, University, which was in the

Meeting at the University of under $104 million. Rosenberg said. bottom three last year, back Central Florida, the univerBut while UF recently FIU was awarded the max- on to the money list. It will sity-system board approved moved into the top 10 schools imum improvement points receive $9.3 million in state $265 million in state peron the U.S. News & World in the performance formula performance funding, for a formance funds for eight Report list of public universi- for cutting its average cost total of $22.7 million in the schools, with three schools ties, several Board of Goverfor students by 6.3 percent new academic year. at the bottom of the perfor- nors members sharply ques- over the previous year, for Florida A&M University mance list getting shut out. tioned school officials about an annual cost of $16,210. and the University of North The board also endorsed the a drop in the four-year gradFlorida State University, the Florida were the other two distribution of $295 million in uation rate for 2017 from 67.6 University of South Florida schools that will not receive “institutional” performance percent to 66 percent. and the University of West state performance funding funds for 11 schools. Florida UF Provost Joseph Glover Florida tied for third on after finishing in the bottom Polytechnic University, the attributed the decline to the the performance list, with three. But FAMU will have state’s newest school, is not inclusion of pharmacy stu- FSU winning a tie-breaker $14.8 million in institutional eligible yet. dents who are in a six-year based on its total of points for funding and UNF will have

The total performance rather than a four-year proimprovement and excellence. $13.6 million. funding is $40 million higher gram. Glover and UF PresFSU improved in all 10 perFinishing fourth on the perthan the $520 million in perident Kent Fuchs said they formance metrics, includformance list, Florida Atlanformance funding in the 2017- anticipate the rate rising, with ing achieving a 68.4 percent tic University in Boca Raton 18 academic year. Each year, a newly approved account- four-year graduation rate for will see a boost of more than the Legislature approves a ability plan setting a goal of its 2017 class, the top rate $1 million in its state perforset amount of state perfor- 68 percent next year and 74 among all of the schools. mance funds, for a total of mance funding for the unipercent for graduates by 2021. FSU’s state performance fundversity system. In addition to The most dr a matic ing increased by $13 million, the state funds, the universi- improvement in performance for a total of $98.7 million. ties match the state money came from Florida InternaLosing the tiebreaker with institutional funds that tional University, which was costly for the other two are part of their recurring ranked eighth among the schools. The University of budgets. 11 schools last year. But this South Florida’s state perfor

The annual list is based on year, FIU moved up to secmance funding declined by 10 measurements of perfor- ond place, gaining an addi- $7.7 million, for a total of $79.6 mance by each of the institu- tional $12.5 million in state million. The University of tions, including graduation performance funds, for a total West Florida’s state funding rates, salaries of recent gradof $73.7 million, up from $58 declined by $10 million, for uates, retention of students million last year. a total of $23 million. and student costs. “We’ve kind of had a fanatLosing another tiebreaker

This year, due to changes ical commitment to student for sixth place on the perforin the performance-funding success, which I would say is mance list was costly for New law, metrics changed from a the key,” FIU President Mark College of Florida. Last year, six-year graduation rate to Rosenberg said. the small liberal-arts school four years. Another metric FIU is putting a greater earned $2.5 million in state $43.4 million. At fifth place, the University of Central Flor- ida will have an increase of nearly $2 million in state per- formance funds, for a total of $79.3 million in 2018-19.