Florida Senate President Says Universities Should Trade Majors Like Baseball Cards

The president of the Florida Senate, Mike Haridopolos, said today that there will be reforms and budget cuts for the state’s universities in the coming year. And according to the Orlando Sentinel, he said colleges should respond by looking deeply at their programs and making some changes. He suggested that college presidents “sit around the table and literally start trading like baseball cards” the majors that they offer and the professors they employ, in order to save money. His suggestion, he said, would help the system reduce cost while “making a more dynamic department at a particular campus.” The suggestion followed a controversy in October, when Gov. Rick Scott said Florida didn’t need any more anthropologists and called for spending state funds on more job-producing fields.