Florida residents attending private universities will lose a $3,000 stipend if a budget proposal announced last Thursday by Gov. Charlie Crist is approved.
The Florida Resident Access Grant, currently given to about 4,200 University of Miami students, would no longer be awarded to incoming freshmen next year if the budget is approved by state legislature. Current students continuing at the university would still receive the award, said Jacqueline Menendez ,vice president for Communications.
“This will not impact the university directly, but it will impact us indirectly because students looking at applying to colleges may not choose this institution,” she said.
Menendez added that UM, along with other private universities such as Barry and St. Thomas, is planning to reach out to the Miami-Dade delegation, the group of legislators that represent Miami-Dade County, and let them know the university is concerned about the impact of the cuts on future students.
Although some students attending private universities will be losing money as a result of the budget cuts, Crist hopes to add $1 billion to education spending in the next year. The proposed budget would allocate more money for teacher bonuses, middle school physical education programs and new classrooms.
Karyn Meshbane may be contacted at k.meshbane@umiami.edu.