Higher Education System Characteristics

There are 108 degree-granting institutions in Florida, including a combination of two- and four-year, public and private, upper- and lower-division, and technical and professional institutions. Table 2 indicates that 83 percent of higher education enrollment in Florida is in public higher education. Among the case study states, Florida ranks low with regard to the level of educational attainment of the population. It ranks last with regard to the percentage of high school graduates going on to higher education anywhere, sixth (out of seven) with regard to undergraduate enrollment per 1,000 residents and last with regard to public four-year enrollment per 1,000 residents. The low ranking of undergraduate enrollment per capita in four-year institutions is because primary access to higher education in Florida is through the community colleges. In fact, Florida ranks third in the case study states on public two-year enrollment per 1,000 residents.

Florida operates a relatively low-cost system of higher education because the state has a lower than average cost of living, and a large proportion of public students are enrolled in the community colleges, with their lower associated unit costs.

Table 2
System Characteristics for Florida Compared to Selected States
(Numbers in Parentheses Represent Rank Among the Seven Study States)

System Characteristics High
(1-2) Average
(3-5) Low
(6-7) U.S. Average

Total Degree-Granting Institutions (1994-95) 111 (6)

Public Four-Year Institutions (1994-95) 9 (7)

Public Two-Year Institutions (1994-95) 29 (6)

% of Enrollment in Public Institutions (1994) 83.3 (4) 78.0

FTE Students per 1,000 Population (Public Institutions Only) (1995-96)* 28.4 (6) 31.5

Participation Ratio: Public FTE Students per New High School Graduate (1995-96)* 4.03 (2) 3.28

% of High School Graduates Going on to Higher Education Anywhere (1994)? 48.4 (7) 57.3

State Appropriations plus Tuition Revenues per FTE Student (1995-96)* $5,386 (7) $7,020

Sources: Unless otherwise noted, data are drawn from Chronicle of Higher Education Almanac (September 1996), pp. 49-50.
* Halstead, State Profiles: Trend Data (1996), pp. 17, 20.
? Halstead, Higher Education Report Card 1995 (Washington D.C.: Research Associates of Washington, 1996), p. 37.

Nine of the 111 degree-granting institutions in Florida are public four-year institutions (not including the new campus to open in 1997) and 29 are public two-year institutions. The rest are private colleges and universities.

Florida's system of higher education consists of one multicampus system (the State University System), one fairly autonomous but coordinated community college system (28 institutions), and many privately controlled institutions of higher education. The state has achieved a fair degree of access with its 10 state universities and 28 public community colleges. Florida's "two-plus-two" policy promotes the recognition and utilization of the public community colleges as the primary point of entry for postsecondary education, and the statewide articulation agreement guarantees entry to the State University System for public community college transfers with an associate of arts degree.

The primary policy making and governing body for public education in Florida is the state Board of Education, while the Board of Regents governs the ten public senior institutions under statutory authority. Included in the comprehensive University System governed by the Regents are two medical schools, two law schools, a dental school, a veterinary school, and the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Each of the nine existing universities (and the new university to open in 1997) offers baccalaureate and selected graduate degrees in arts and sciences, business administration, education, and other areas. Specialized undergraduate and graduate programs that are characterized by lower student and employer demand are located at a limited number of institutions.

The State Board of Community Colleges (SBCC) provides statewide leadership and coordination to the 28 individually governed public community colleges. The Postsecondary Education Planning Commission (PEPC) serves as an advisory body to the state Board of Education and the Legislature on all postsecondary education matters.

In addition to the political and institutional leadership for higher education in Florida, a influential coalition of business and education leaders have been lending their weight in attracting attention to and making recommendations for Florida's problems in higher education. The Business/Higher Education Partnership, drawn in part from the Florida Council of 100 (a prestigious business group), released a highly publicized report, The Emerging Catastrophe And How to Prevent It, that called attention to issues facing higher education in the state and proposed an agenda for solving the problems.

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Table 2 System Characteristics for Florida Compared to Selected States (Numbers in Parentheses Represent Rank Among the Seven Study States)
*System Characteristics*	High (1-2)	Average (3-5)	Low (6-7)	*U.S. Average*
Total Degree-Granting Institutions (1994-95)			111 (6)
Public Four-Year Institutions (1994-95)			9 (7)
Public Two-Year Institutions (1994-95)			29 (6)
% of Enrollment in Public Institutions (1994)		83.3 (4)		78.0
FTE Students per 1,000 Population (Public Institutions Only) (1995-96)*			28.4 (6)	31.5
Participation Ratio: Public FTE Students per New High School Graduate (1995-96)*	4.03 (2)			3.28
% of High School Graduates Going on to Higher Education Anywhere (1994)?			48.4 (7)	57.3
State Appropriations plus Tuition Revenues per FTE Student (1995-96)*			$5,386 (7)	$7,020
Sources: Unless otherwise noted, data are drawn from Chronicle of Higher Education Almanac (September 1996), pp. 49-50. * Halstead, State Profiles: Trend Data (1996), pp. 17, 20. ? Halstead, Higher Education Report Card 1995 (Washington D.C.: Research Associates of Washington, 1996), p. 37.