U. of Fla. Denies Degree To Jeb Bush

(AP)  University of Florida President Bernie Machen says he was "tremendously disappointed" with the school's Faculty Senate vote to deny former Gov. Jeb Bush an honorary degree.

The Senate voted 38-28 Thursday against giving the honorary degree to Bush, who left office in January.

"Jeb Bush has been a great friend of the University of Florida," Machen said Friday, adding that the Senate's action is "unheard of."

Some faculty expressed concern about Bush's record in higher education.

"I really don't feel this is a person who has been a supporter of UF," Kathleen Price, associate dean of library and technology at the school's Levin College of Law, told The Gainesville Sun after the vote.

Bush's approval of three new medical schools during his tenure has diluted resources, Price told the newspaper.

Bush has also been criticized for his "One Florida" proposal, an initiative that ended race-based admissions programs at state universities.

Machen maintains, however, that Bush has benefited the university, such as by providing the funding to attract nationally recognized faculty.

Machen also pointed to Bush's First Generation Scholarship program, modeled after a University of Florida effort to help high school students at risk of not making it to college.

University officials said they could not recall any precedent for the Senate rejecting the nominees put forth by the Faculty Senate's Honorary Degrees, Distinguished Alumnus Awards and Memorials Committee. The committee determines whether nominees deserve consideration according to standards that include "eminent distinction in scholarship or high distinction in public service."

"The committee endorsed him," Machen said. "It is unheard of that a faculty committee would look at candidates, make recommendations and then (those candidates) be overturned by the Senate."

An e-mail sent to Bush by The Associated Press was not immediately returned.

[emhawks]

GOOD FOR THE UNVERSITITY OF FLORIDA'S
FACULTY!!

[readbetween]

Bush is the worst governer the state of Florida ever had he left this state in a mess. His policies for eductation were a joke, only to benefit the rich I am glad UF voted no.

[sjw1253]

As I read this article I could only think to myself... I thought one could not "buy" a degree from a "reputable" higher educational institution???

I am well aware of honorary degrees ... but I do not think they should be based on "friendship"...

To me ... a degree represents ones academic achievements which can be demonstrated by the work one does... not by the friends they make.

[coffeehead-2009]

Well it was either fake/blame and point at the "voters" and make them idiots ---

or~~~~~~~~~~~


The following is an abbreviated version of the exchange concerning the peculiar events in Volusia county. For the purposes of research the exchange is included in full as an Appendix to this report (APPENDIX TWO). The discussion took place in early 2001 as an audit was underway in Volusia county into the events.


**********
(NOTE: The names below each extract link to the full text of the emails in the appendices below.)


I need some answers! Our department is being audited by the County. I have been waiting for someone to give me an explanation as to why Precinct 216 gave Al Gore a minus 16022 when it was uploaded. Will someone please explain this so that I have the information to give the auditor instead of standing here

"looking dumb".

Lana Hires %u2013 Volusia County Florida - January 17, 2001 8:07 AM

My understanding is that the card was not corrupt after (or before) upload. They fixed the problem by clearing the precinct and re-uploading the same card. So neither of these explainations washes. That's not to say I have any idea what actually happened, its just not either of those%u2026

The problem is its going to be very hard to collect enough data to really know what happened. The card isn't corrupt so we can't post-mortem it (its not mort).

[feelfree1]

grumpas, Iceman_1960,

Thanks for the laughs! I needed that.

[perimogi]

Let me see if I can spell this correct, POLITICS! nothing else

[nyckate]

mike71067 - stop being a donkey -- those who voted NOT to give Jeb Bush an 'honorary' degree did so becuase he didn't act to benefit higher learning in Fla -- cause we all can see - higher learning equals a better educated constitutiency and that means less votes for the Bush Cartel.

[mike71067]

Florida did this? The people who are saying that Jeb Bush doesn't deserve an honorary degree are the same group of idiots that couldn't follow simple directions on a ballot in 2000?

Jeb Bush should be honored by this.

[donnybd]

The man who ended polution control for cars.
Now Floridians remove the catalic converters.
don

[coffeehead-2009]

Jeb is as unamerican as they come.
He could give a Sh~t about anyone but himself. His children are a disgrace and he is an elitistist who lives off good peoples hard work and retirement $$$. He's an enron profiteer.


When a company announces a $600 million loss in three months, its CEO quits and its stock price drops like a brick %u2014 most investors would sell their shares: Not the Florida Retirement System.

Mismanagement Made the Enron Loss Inevitable, the State Board of Administration (SBA) repeatedly engaged in poor investment practices under the watch of its Board of Trustees, chaired by Gov. Jeb Bush. Despite warnings from inside and outside the SBA, the trustees failed to correct these problems, leading to a stunning loss on Enron stock nearly three times greater than that of any other state retirement fund


Maybe it was because Enron gave $154,425 %u2014 80 percent to Republicans %u2014 to Florida legislators in 1996 and 1998, including $6,500 for Jeb%u2019s campaign.

Maybe it was because Jeb hired Alliance Capital Management %u2014 a firm with an Enron director on its board %u2014 to oversee its Enron stock.

Maybe it was because Jeb appointed a political crony Coleman Stipanovich %u2014 brother of Republican fixer Mac Stipanovich %u2014 to oversee Alliance Capital Management.

Maybe it was because former president Richard Kinder hosted a fundraiser for Jeb in Houston on Jan. 17 %u2014 just a month after the dirty deed was done.