USF, universities around country struggle with budget woes - Stephanie Hayes, Times Staff Writer

American higher education is on an unsustainable path, according to a report last year by consulting firm Bain & Company and private equity firm Sterling Partners. It said one-third of all colleges and universities have significantly weaker financial statements than they did several years ago, with more liabilities, more expenses and thinner safety nets. Moody's Investors Service in August found revenue growth at public universities had slowed from 4.8 percent in 2011 to 1.7 percent just a year later. And Moody's issued a negative outlook for the entire sector. "The last four or five years have been very difficult," said Dean Colson, chairman of Florida's Board of Governors, which oversees the State University System. "We've seen almost a billion dollars in cuts. We were able to make some of that up with some tuition increases. But even after you subtract out the tuition increases, you're still talking about a couple hundred million dollars in cuts, while at the same time adding about 35,000 new students in the system. … So you've got to change the way you do business." http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/college/usf-universities-around-country-struggle-with-budget-woes/2139666