Biden waives $4.5 billion more in student loans. Here’s the impact on Floridians
President Joe Biden waived an additional $4.5 billion in student debt today, Thursday for over 60,000 borrowers who are public service workers. That’s under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, or PSLF program. The Floridians who stand to benefit from this latest round of loan cancellation are teachers, firefighters, law enforcement officials, nurses, veterans and service members. U.S. Department of Education Under Secretary James Kvaal said this loan forgiveness is life-changing. [Source: Central Florida Public Media]
State universities are culling hundreds of general education courses
Sunshine State public universities are purging courses to avoid running afoul of a new law that targets “woke ideologies” in higher education. Hundreds of courses that previously counted toward graduation requirements, will soon become electives. Free speech advocates and university professors feel the move is the first step toward such courses disappearing entirely. The culling of classes has the potential to affect faculty and thousands of students across the state. [Source: Politico]
UNF offering programs to help people join the cannabis industry, which could grow if Amendment 3 passes
Max Simon was an educator in mind-body medicine and wanted to fuse teaching and cannabis together. His company Green Flower is collaborating with the University of North Florida with five, six-month online certificate programs to help people join the cannabis industry. It also covers the history, science, and business of cannabis. They are partnered with 60 learning institutions. “In Florida, the medical cannabis industry is already a huge multi-billion dollar sector that has over 30,000 people working in the industry already so it’s already a very well-established and thriving cannabis industry,” Simon said. [Source: WJXT4]
These are the best universities, colleges in Florida 2024
On Monday, WalletHub released its 2024 ranking for the top colleges and universities in the U.S. The list is divided into different regions of the country, including the North, Midwest, West and — in Florida’s case — South. To determine the best-of-the-best, the ranking examined factors like student selections, costs and financing, faculty resources, campus safety, campus experience, educational outcomes and career outcomes. [Source: Click Orlando]
Florida’s school board elections became nonpartisan in 1998. Amendment 1 could undo that
An oft-repeated phrase among parents and community members is that politics have no place in schools. But, this election, Florida’s Constitution could be amended to make school board races partisan, meaning candidates would have to disclose whether they are Democrats, Republicans or members of another political party. [Source: Florida Today]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› FAMU classes going virtual Thursday amid investigation of campus-wide power outage
Classes at the main campus of Florida A&M University will go virtual Thursday as university officials investigate a bizarre campus-wide power outage that plunged the campus into darkness Wednesday evening for about three hours.
› Civil liability for parents could deter school threats, Board of Education member says
Civil penalties for parents whose children threaten schools could deter threats from occurring, a Florida Board of Education member suggested Tuesday. A 14-year-old killed four and wounded nine in Georgia in September, setting off a wave of “copycat” school threats in Florida and around the nation. The increase in threats prompted sheriff’s departments and school districts in Florida to remind students and parents that threats are illegal and not a joke.
› HCI College Nursing Program Receives ACEN Accreditation
HCI College’s West Palm Beach campus is proud to announce that its Associate Degree in Nursing program has been granted initial accreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), affirming the College’s commitment to excellence as it provides top-tier education and prepares students for successful careers in nursing.
› Book bans decrease in Florida schools
An anti-censorship group says book bans in Florida schools decreased in the past year. The reason why remains unclear. Some speculate that the losses of Moms for Liberty supported candidates signaled a weariness in local communities with the organization’s hot-button issues. Another possibility is that all the challenged books are gone. Still, the American Library Association intends to remain vigilant in what it calls an ongoing fight
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