An Investment in Florida's Future
| Student Programs | |
  Clint Stevens, 1998 Skoch scholarship winner |
Florida Sea Grant does not “teach” or “graduate” students in the tradition of an academic department. However, funding and support for graduate students in many academic departments across Florida is provided through the research projects and scholarship programs that Florida Sea Grant does support. Students receive Florida Sea Grant support through both public and private sources of funds. This commitment receives high priority within Florida Sea Grant. When overall federal appropriations to Sea Grant programs were cut during “tough” federal budget years in the 1980s, the number of students supported by Florida Sea Grant began to decrease. Recovery of these federal appropriations did not really begin until the mid-1980s. At the same time, university funding in Florida also suffered, and faculty writing Sea Grant (and other granting agency) proposals included summer salaries to protect employment, at the expense of funding that was formerly used for graduate students. It was clear that corrective action needed to be taken. Beginning in 1993, Florida Sea Grant adopted the policy that, at minimum, 25 percent of the Florida Sea Grant federal research budget would be used to support graduate students. Then, in 1998, Florida Sea Grant research project funding guidelines indicated that the inclusion of graduate students in proposals would give the proposal a competitive edge, assuming all other review criteria were satisfactory. These policies have been followed since, and funding has been above the goal in most years. Florida Sea Grant also began to build a private base of student support. In 1986, the Aylesworth Foundation for the Advancement of Marine Sciences was formed with a major portion of its funding devoted to Florida Sea Grant scholarships. The Old Salt Fishing Club also created a scholarship program for students with both scholarship programs conducted in partnership with the Florida Sea Grant Program. The overall impact of these efforts, both public and private, has been to cause an increasing trend in the total number of graduate students supported, rebounding from a low in 1996 (the lowest year ever). For 2002-04, an average of 33 graduate students per year received support. |
Reduced federal appropriations in the 1980s also caused a decline in Florida Sea Grant’s support of graduate students. Since implementing a policy in 1993 that sets aside one quarter of its federal research budget for graduate student support, Florida Sea Grant has been above its goal most years. |
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Support for graduate education is a high priority within Florida Sea Grant. In its early years, funding came from the program’s federal appropriation, but as this declined, Florida Sea Grant initiated a program of privately supported scholarships. The private sector initiative combined with policies that encourage faculty members to include graduate students in research projects has begun to re-establish overall graduate student support at pre-1980 levels. |
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| An Investment in Florida's Future(pdf) (1 mb) | |
