Community college leaders like State College idea

A proposal to create a State College System in Florida – a potentially sweeping change in higher education - won unanimous endorsement yesterday from the Council of Presidents, which consists of the presidents of all 28 Florida community colleges. The plan "has positioned us to meet a critical need in Florida, and that need is for bachelor's degrees," COP Chair Jackson Sasser (left), who is also president of Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville, told The Gradebook after the vote.

Meeting in Tallahassee, the COP specifically endorsed SB 1716, which won unanimous, bipartisan support from the Senate Higher Education Committee last week. The bill would convert Florida's community colleges into state colleges, and allow more of them to offer 4-year degrees. Currently only a handful of them do, including St. Petersburg College, which is widely cited by supporters of the state college idea as a model for the future.

A House proposal hasn't surfaced in committee yet, but key House leaders strongly back the idea. To see a draft that began circulating last week, click here. To read a recent St. Petersburg Times story on this issue, click here.

- Ron Matus, state education reporter