UNF is not receiving performance funding from the state for this fiscal year. This money is distributed based on the scores of the state’s 11 public universities, with the most money going to those at the top and none going to those at the bottom.

This means UNF, University of West Florida, and New College are going without these extra funds while Florida Atlantic University and University of Central Florida share $225 million.

President John Delaney explained that these funds are set up as a bonus tool, meaning that their absence has no effect on things like hiring or other recurring university expenses.

The scores are evaluated based on how the universities perform in ten different categories, some of which are based on graduation rates, cost to educate students, and student’s salaries after graduation.

Delaney said the issue with this scale is that it doesn’t take the sizes and types of universities into consideration, which makes it tough for smaller schools like UNF to compete.

He said some things that aren’t considered are the cost of living in different college cities, how much money the universities get from the state per student, or the kind of fields the majority of graduates are going into, all of which can have major impacts on a school’s performance ranking.

“Our suggestion has been for the state to compare universities to their peers. Our second is that there’s a stigma that comes along with being in the bottom three, and that’s counterproductive to advancing the education system,” Delaney said.

He said six of the 11 state universities have ranked at the bottom in the last three, including Florida State University, which tied with UNF last year.

—

For more information or news tips, or if you see an error in this story or have any compliments or concerns, contact editor@unfspinnaker.com.