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The board that governs Florida's public universities -- charged by the Legislature with weighing the state's options for expanding access through the use of online education -- weighed in on a consultant's report that suggested a range of possibilities, and kept open the prospect of creating a freestanding 13th university that would operate only online. At a meeting Monday, a strategic planning committee of the Florida Board of Governors heard a report from the Parthenon Group that suggested four possibilities, ranging from retaining the status quo (in which institutions would continue to provide their own offerings independently) to creating a separate institution. The Miami Herald reported that the board seemed to largely reject the status quo, and did not reject the idea of creating a new institution, despite opposition from the provosts of existing universities, who in a letter expressed concerns about dilution of resources and competition.
The idea that got the most support during the board's discussion, according to the Herald, was a hybrid of the consultant's other two recommendations, involving more systemwide collaboration or allowing one or more existing institutions to take the lead on creating new programs.
