Florida colleges and universities searching for ways to accommodate an anticipated rush of veterans seeking a higher education next fall now have a financial incentive.
The American Council on Education is paying out competitive grants to schools that show they will facilitate campus life for military members now that Congress has recharged the GI Bill.
Some Florida schools, particularly the University of South Florida, already have begun talking about how they're going to meet the demand. State education leaders expect that thousands more veterans will seek entry to Florida's community colleges and universities when the better benefits from the GI Bill take affect in August.
The challenge for colleges is meeting that demand when they're cutting millions from their budgets.
Florida's 11 public universities have frozen the size of their freshman classes and cut back on services, some of which support veterans. Community colleges, which have an open-door policy, have absorbed the spillover of students unable to get into four-year schools while facing the same budget cuts.
To help schools, the Wal-Mart Foundation paid the American Council on Education $2.5 million to start up a program to "identify and reward institutions that operate model programs advancing access and success in higher education for veterans and their families," according to a statement from the council. Schools would compete for a share of the money.
The effort is timed with the start of the new GI Bill, which bestows thousands more dollars in benefits on veterans. Under the old bill, known as the Montgomery GI Bill, veterans received $1,321 monthly to cover all college expenses, whether that college was the University of South Florida or Princeton University. It also required veterans to pay a $1,200 enrollment fee.
The revamped measure, known as the Post 9/11 GI Bill, covers the tuition and fees of any public college or university, even the most expensive. It also provides a monthly housing allowance that will average about $1,000 as well as a $1,000 yearly stipend for books. No fee is required.
Reporter Adam Emerson can be reached at (813) 259-8285.
Copyright 2008 Tampa Tribune & WFLA
