Florida’s top-ranked public universities will receive no special state funding this year after legislative budget negotiators agreed to eliminate the preeminence program entirely from the upcoming spending plan.
The Legislature concluded its budget talks late Sunday during a Special Session, called after lawmakers failed to pass a budget during the 60-day Regular Session.
The Senate had originally sought $100 million for the state’s designated “preeminent” research universities, but could not reach a compromise with the House, which sought to eliminate the funding altogether. The Senate later reduced its offer to $50 million, but the House did not agree. In the end, the program received nothing.
The preeminence program, created in 2013, awards additional state dollars to universities that score well on metrics such as student GPA and SAT scores, faculty credentials, endowment size, and graduation rates. The four universities currently holding preeminent status are the University of Florida, Florida State University, the University of South Florida, and Florida International University. The University of Central Florida had been seeking to join that group.
The funding has been declining in recent years. Two years ago, preeminent universities shared a $100 million pot. Last year, that figure dropped to $40 million. This year it reaches zero.
Schools have typically used preeminence dollars to hire faculty, expand student services, and boost campus research initiatives.
Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education Chair Gayle Harrell pushed back against the cuts. “I happen to think that preeminence is very, very important. We are the No. 1 state system in the entire country, and preeminence has been a key part of driving that,” she told reporters.
House Higher Education Budget Subcommittee Chair Demi Busatta defended the House’s position, arguing the designation itself still holds value. “The institutions can still call themselves preeminent universities without the funding being there. That’s obviously something that throughout the years has sometimes been there and sometimes there hasn’t been,” she said.
For universities, the preeminent label serves as a key marketing tool used to recruit students and faculty. Whether losing the financial reward tied to that label affects their ability to compete nationally remains to be seen.
Follow the St. Pete-Clearwater Sun on Facebook, Google, & X
St. Pete-Clearwater Sun: local St. Pete-Clearwater news at PIE-Sun.com
Leave a Reply