Putnam said in a questionnaire from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune that he wants PBF metrics to recognize “the unique capabilities and missions of each of the state’s 12 universities” and to compare “each Florida university to peer universities across the country.”
This is the second time Putnam has spoken in favor of peer-to-peer comparisons. Back in June, the Tampa Bay Times reported that “he said the state needed to set standards that all universities must meet and new metrics to compare those schools to their peers in other states.”
Alexander, D-Tallahassee, an alumnus of Florida A&M University, doesn’t think it’s right to compare State University System of Florida (SUS) schools with different sizes and missions against each other for PBF.
“I have a solution to the problem,” Alexander said during a Virtual Town Hall Meeting in December. “There’s something called ‘peer institutions.’ And so my recommendation is that…we need to judge all our state universities based off other peer institutions.”
He explained that “‘peer institutions’ means based off size of the school, budget, focus, types of programs that you offer…”
“My recommendation is that each state university provide a justification document of four to five peer institutions around the United States,” Alexander said. He said that the PBF metrics for each university should be set based on competing against those peer institutions. Alexander mentioned Howard University and North Carolina A&T University as examples of peer institutions that might be included in the justification document for FAMU.
Putnam also said that he’s proud of the low tuition in Florida and that he believes “higher education ought to be affordable.”
Q: “Do you support or oppose the allocation of performance-based funding for state universities to equip them for pre-eminence?”
A: “Florida has a world-class university system thanks to the investment and the hard work of Governor Scott and the Legislature. Our state university system is an economic engine that has played a role in driving our state’s growth, creating new industries and preparing students for successful careers.”
“As Governor, I will build on this success by focusing on improving our universities’ standings across the nation so that we can compete with states like California and Texas – and win. We must invest in our universities in order to propel them to new heights. This means having a Florida university ranked in the Top 5 in the nation, another in the Top 10, and adding a second university to the prestigious Association of American Universities, which recognizes the top research universities in the nation.”
“It also means recognizing the unique capabilities and missions of each of the state’s 12 universities and creating performance standards that hold them accountable to taxpayers while comparing each Florida university to peer universities across the country.”
Q: “Do you support or oppose tighter state limits on tuition at state colleges and universities?”
A: “I am proud that Florida has the second lowest tuition cost in the nation (49th). Higher education ought to be affordable. We are also one of only three states that has cut in-state tuition and fees over the last five years. (Source: College Board)”