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Roberts Rules For BOG's Independence

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By VICKIE CHACHERE

Published: October 21, 2007

Florida Board of Governors Chairwoman Carolyn Roberts is such a disarming presence that one might imagine she swayed Gov. Charlie Crist's opposition to university tuition increases with little more than one of her warm, reassuring pats on the hand and a few soothing words in her lilting Southern drawl.

But that would be selling the lady short.

Roberts, who for nearly 20 years has been a presence in the governing of Florida's public universities, has never been as influential as she is today. Roberts has become one of the university system's most effective advocates and one of its most thoughtful observers.

Incredibly, just a few short years ago she was seen as the enemy of Florida's universities after she led the campaign to block the creation of the Board of Governors. After voters approved the constitutional amendment creating the board in 2002, Gov. Jeb Bush's appointment of Roberts as a charter member was viewed in some circles as Bush thumbing his nose at the mandate.

But Roberts - an Ocala real estate broker who travels in influential Republican circles with her husband Fred, a successful businessman and community leader - took to the task with gusto.

Under Roberts' leadership, the Board of Governors recently joined in a lawsuit filed by former Florida Sen. Bob Graham asking the courts to rule that the board has the power to set tuition.

The board also is asking the Legislature to change the way it funds universities - instead of lawmakers issuing specific line items for each institution, the board wants to be granted a lump sum and then decide how the money will be divvied up. That was Florida's practice until the Board of Regents was scuttled.

The board also commissioned a controversial study to examine the structure of the university system and where it is stumbling. The Pappas report took on such sacred cows as Florida Bright Futures scholarships and the state's prepaid tuition plan. It also challenged the state to consider a tiered university system that would elevate a few schools to the upper echelon of research universities and clarify that the mission of the others was to produce bachelor's degrees.

Roberts could see the politically charged document had little chance of surviving on its own. So instead, the board is using it as an advisory report that will guide the development of its own long-range plan that will take on many of the same issues, with hopes of avoiding a bare-knuckle political brawl.

Roberts sat down with the Tribune's editorial board last month to discuss the future of Florida's universities. Here are some excerpts from the conversation:

On the decision to join in the lawsuit challenging the Legislature's power to set tuition:

I understand general revenue funding comes from the Legislature. We don't have enough funding for our state university system, and we want to be respectful of the Legislature ... But clarification is important. We believe it's time for clarification ... I know the intent of the amendment to be governed by the Board of Governors in every way, including tuition and fees.

It's about governance and about who's responsible for the planning for this system.

On the recommendation in the Pappas report that Florida should create a tiered university system:

Tier is a word I have learned not use over the years. I think it's very important for the BOG to define themselves and the universities. We can't afford for this state for all the universities to look alike ... But when you are talking about tiers, that determines that a university forevermore is as it is at this time. That state is growing, the state is changing. Communities are changing.

(But) we can't afford all these universities to look alike ... The difficulty is for some of the universities developing in different ways.

On whether the universities should be held accountable for four-year graduation rates:

It's hard to penalize the universities because they don't have the funding. In the future, we're going to approve a performance funding formula that does reward graduation in a timely fashion ... In the past we have rewarded growth. But there are 5,627 students who are not funded. All we get is their tuition, which is 25 percent to 28 percent of the cost of educating them. We haven't had full funding ... The only way to make progress on that is to offer more classes.

On the political risks of taking on the Legislature and its control of the universities and a potential showdown on Bright Futures scholarships:

There is a lot at stake. I believe we are right. I think we will be applauded for making one of the best decisions ... and by the way it was one of the toughest decisions.

Our state has changed; our needs have changed. The quality of the applicants has changed. It's time to review the program. Not dismantle the program, but consider changing the requirements ... It should indeed be an academic reward. It should be the highest standard. But we also don't want to lower the amount of financial aid in this state.

On what will happen if the Board of Governors gains control over tuition:

We need to raise tuition to the national average in three years. Our tuition average is about $3,400 a year. The national average is $5,800. That's where the need-based financial aid is so important.

The state universities deserve to be funded. The students are prepared to play their part. We are asking the Legislature to fairly fund our university system ... These students are bright and smart, and they get it. Our funding should reward the model that benefits the students.

Carolyn K. Roberts

Career: President, Roberts Real Estate, Inc., since 1993.

Public Service: Appointed in 1989 by Gov. Bob Martinez to the Florida Board of Regents; reappointed by Gov. Jeb Bush. Appointed by Bush to the Florida Board of Education in 2001 and confirmed to a seven-year term on the Florida Board of Governors in 2003. Selected chairwoman of the board in 2003.

Education: Undergraduate degree in business from Florida Southern College in 1969.

Source: Florida Board of Governors.

Vickie Chachere is a Tribune editorial writer.

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