The Florida Legislature approved the program in the Florida
Excellence in Higher Education Act of 2017 (CS/CS/SB 374) that it sent to
governor’s desk on June 5. Gov. Rick Scott still hasn’t announced whether he
will veto the bill.
According to the act: “The World Class Faculty and Scholar
Program is established to fund and support the efforts of state universities to
recruit and retain exemplary faculty and research scholars. It is the intent of
the Legislature to elevate the national competitiveness of Florida’s state
universities through faculty and scholar recruitment and retention.”
The act goes on to describe that the funds from the program
may be used for: “investments in research-centric cluster hires, faculty
research and research commercialization efforts, instructional and research
infrastructure, undergraduate student participation in research, professional
development, awards for outstanding performance, and postdoctoral fellowships.”