News Service of Florida and staff reports

The state university system's Board of Governors this week will consider a proposal that would seek to increase performance funding by $100 million next year.

The proposal is included in a 2015-16 legislative budget request, which the Board of Governors will take up during a meeting Thursday at the University of West Florida.

If approved, the proposal would then go to the Legislature for consideration during the spring session.

Lawmakers this year approved a plan than included $200 million in performance funding, with $100 million in new money and $100 million in existing funds.

Performance funding is tied to 10 metrics the board of governors has implemented to evaluate the state’s 11 universities. Schools that score 25 points on the 50-point scale or below are penalized by having 1 percent of the recurring state funding withheld.

Eight are common to all universities, one is chosen by the Board of Governors for each institution and one is chosen by the institution.

The 10 measures for UWF are:

-- Percent of bachelor’s degree graduates employed one year after graduation.

-- Median full-time wage of graduates employed in Florida one year after graduation.

-- Average cost per undergraduate degree to the institution.

-- Six-year graduation rate.

-- Academic progression rate (second year retention rate with a GPA of 2.0 or higher).

-- Bachelor’s degrees awarded in areas of strategic emphasis, including STEM disciplines.

-- University access rate (the percent of undergraduates who receive Pell Grants).

-- Graduate degrees awarded in areas of strategic emphasis, including STEM.

-- Bachelor’s degrees awarded without excess hours. (Chosen by the Board of Governors for UWF)

-- Percent of adult undergraduates (25 or older) enrolled. (Chosen by UWF).

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