Florida’s former University system Chancellor Charlie Reed is back. Reed recently retired from his job as Chancellor of California State University System, and he’s now handing out advice for Florida’s Higher Education system.
Reed led Florida’s university system from 1985-2002, until a constitutional amendment abolished the Board of Regents and created the Florida Board of Governors in its place. In an appearance before the Economics Club of Florida, Reed said he has two “pet peeves”: the amount of money he says is wasted on prisons when it could be going to education, and two: the state’s merit-based Bright Future’s scholarship program, which he says is going to kids who don’t need it:
“The big beneficiaries of Bright Futures are the car dealers. Because if you go around these campuses, you see these exotic cars parked all around the campus," he said.
Meanwhile the Florida Council of 100, made up of the state’s business leaders, is calling on state lawmakers to increase the amount of need-based financial aid for students. The group says it also believes the state should continue to increase academic standards for receiving Bright Future’s scholarships.
