TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — The Florida Dodge began a mission in February to audit the state’s universities to look for unnecessary spending, programmatic, staff and other inefficiencies, and a report is currently being compiled.
“Our universities are doing a very good job in terms of how they handle their finances, but there’s always room for improvement,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
A recent audit of Florida’s colleges and universities highlights some of the lowest tuition and most affordable degrees in the nation, but the report says budgeting can and should be improved.
“We can and should do better,” said Ben Watkins, director of Fixed Income Finance Florida.
At this week’s Florida Governors’ Meeting, Ben Watkins, who is leading the effort, compared success standards among the state’s public universities.
The university identified the University of Central Florida as the most efficient in the state, but New College of Florida in Sarasota ranks as the least efficient in the system, costing each student nearly $500,000 to earn a degree, compared to UCF’s only $46,000.
8 On Your Side reached out to New College of Florida for a response to the findings, and Vice President for Communications Jamie Miller said, “Thursday’s report reflects the previous administration’s admissions failures. It is a bold move by Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature to appoint new leadership with clear goals. The impact of New College’s revitalization is already visible, with enrollment now exceeding 900 students for the first time in history.As enrollment continues to grow, our cost per student and cost per graduate will be among the lowest of any liberal arts school in the country.”
Following DOGE’s presentation this week, board members agreed there is always room for improvement.
“It’s taxpayer money, not the state’s. So we have an obligation to actually make sure it’s spent wisely and that the results are worth the investment,” said board member Eric Szilagyi.
So what’s next? It is now up to university presidents to consider this recommendation and discuss it directly with the DOGE team.
