Rick Scott proposes $10,000 STEM degrees

Gov. Rick Scott, who once owned businesses ranging from a doughnut shop to a health care company, is a big fan of degrees that lead to jobs.

In 2011, he told a radio talk show host that Florida doesn't need "a lot more anthropologists." Instead, Scott said, the state needs more graduates in science, technology, engineering and math fields -- shortened often as STEM.

During his second campaign in 2014, he promised he would secure "$10 million to create a $10,000 degree competitive STEM grant program for our state colleges."

Scott's taking that promise to the Florida Legislature. In his January budget proposal, Scott included $5 million in new funds for state colleges to develop or expand STEM bachelor's degrees that cost students $10,000 or less in tuition and fees. That would be a one-year appropriation to begin in the 2015-16 year.

In 2012, Scott issued a challenge to state colleges to offer $10,000 degrees, but it wasn't specifically earmarked for STEM studies. That program doesn't apply to universities but only state colleges (previously called community colleges). As of October, about 270 students -- including about 54 in STEM programs -- are on track for $10,000 degrees at the 21 colleges participating.

We'll have to wait to see if Scott's proposal for $10,000 degrees earmarked for STEM leads to more widespread opportunity for students, but his $5 million proposal is a step toward his promise. We rate this promise In The Works.