PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A group of university, business, and workforce representatives is expressing alarm over potential cuts to a critical grant program for students attending independent nonprofit colleges and universities in Florida.
This program, known as the Effective Access to Student Education (EASE) grant, could face significant reductions that may ripple through the state’s workforce and economy.
This comes as budget negotiations continue among Florida state leaders.
WATCH: Students in nursing or teaching fields would be impacted
On Thursday, a virtual press conference brought together university leaders, business partners, and workforce beneficiaries to voice their opposition to the proposed move. Their primary concern is the financial burden these cuts would impose on students, particularly those pursuing degrees in high-demand fields such as nursing and education.
Representatives from Keiser University highlighted the importance of independent institutions in Florida’s educational landscape, revealing that they produce 28% of the state’s nursing degrees and 25% of its teaching degrees, far outpacing public universities.
According to university officials, any reductions to EASE vouchers will heavily impact the students in these essential fields, possibly forcing them to either incur greater student loan debt or discontinue their education.
Moreover, Keiser believes the proposed cuts are expected to disproportionately affect non-traditional and low-income students who rely on EASE grants to afford tuition while balancing jobs and family responsibilities.
“Most of the students will want to continue their education; unfortunately, that would require them to increase their student loan debt or withdraw funds from their families' savings, creating a direct impact on the student,” said Dr. Art Keiser, chancellor of Keiser University.
Keiser University is among the 15 institutions that could be removed from the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida (ICUF) list, leaving over 20,000 EASE students without $75 million in funding.
Education
Funding cuts could impact over 21K Florida college students
Liliana Marquez, a first-generation college nursing student at Keiser University, shared her perspective on the importance of EASE grants.
"Any amount of money you can get really helps," she said, emphasizing the high costs of nursing program materials. "I felt sad just because I’ve been able to benefit from this, and I know the importance of this."
She has been advocating to keep the university on ICUF's list saying if it wasn't for EASE grants, she would not have chosen Keiser as her university.
"I chose Keiser because I wanted a school that had a fast-paced program and wanted an environment that was small that I was able to focus and have more student interaction between professors," said Marquez. "I think public school and public universities are not catered for everybody, it doesn't work for everybody and the EASE grant gives us choice, the choice and opportunity to choose schools that work better for us."
The urgency of these issues is underscored by the current staffing shortages facing Florida's healthcare sector, particularly in nursing.
Patricia Keeney, executive director of patients at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, noted, “Restricting access to financial aid for these students would have a direct and negative impact on our ability to deliver care.”
She fears that eliminating EASE opportunities would lead to lower enrollment and graduation rates in critical workforce areas, further limiting the pool of qualified candidates.
Financially, the investment in EASE grants pays significant dividends. According to Keiser, every dollar spent on EASE generates $3.83 in tax revenue. Additionally, for every $1 million in state support, ICUF institutions graduate 277 bachelor's degree recipients — compared to just 17 graduates per $1 million from the state university system.
“There is no better educational dollar spent on a return on investment than the investment in our students with EASE,” Dr. Keiser asserted.
"Are we going to save money? Is the goal for the state to create talent and save money? The answer is no, because EASE is such a good bargain for the state, EASE is about $3,500 for a student, it costs 10 times as much to educate these students in the public sector when you calculate in the state subsidy," said Bob Boyd, President of ICUF.
Despite the overwhelming support for maintaining EASE funding, state representatives are pushing for accountability.
Representative Dana Trabulsy emphasized that the proposed changes are not merely about cutting grants but instituting minimum requirements for graduation rates, retention, and affordability.
If passed, institutions would need to meet a minimum of four out of the following five metrics:
- 30% access rate
- Affordability rate of $6,183
- 54% graduation rate
- 67% retention rate
- 50% employment rate
"Even with the minimum metrics, the bar we have set is very attainable. We want Florida's students who receive the EASE grant to receive an education from an institution that has better than a 54% graduation rate," said Trabulsy.
The ongoing debate surrounding the EASE grant cuts will continue as Florida leaders prepare to discuss the budget further next month. The outcome could shape the educational landscape and workforce development in Florida for years to come.
