MIAMI
The Board of Governors on Tuesday instituted a three-year
freeze on freshmen enrollment at the funded level, meaning they will not
increase the number of freshmen admitted to public universities.
With looming budget cuts and a 5 percent tuition veto,
university officials said they fear the quality of education is being
compromised. If students continue to flood the schools, they won’t have access
to advisers or the classes they need to graduate, said State University System
Chancellor Mark B. Rosenberg.
“We have stretched the rubber band as far as we can
stretch it. If we continue to place a premium on access and not graduation, we
will be able to get the students in but not out,” Rosenberg
said.
The freeze, effective spring 2008, does not affect upper-division
enrollment and community college transfers.
The board, which met at the University
of Central Florida in Orlando,
also approved a tuition hike. The unspecified raise also will take effect
spring 2008 and will not exceed 5 percent.
The State University System includes 11 institutions and
300,000 students.
