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UF Faculty Denies Honorary Degree For Former Gov.

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Mar 24, 2007 10:59 am US/Eastern

UF Faculty Denies Honorary Degree For Former Gov.

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GAINESVILLE (CBS4) ― Univ. of Florida is ranked by US News And World Report as one of the top ten public universities in the nation.

It's grown to this distinction over the past decade, most of which has been under the leadership of the then-Governor Jeb Bush.

With that in mind, on Thursday, the school's faculty senate voted to deny him an honorary degree. It voted 38-28. University of Florida President Bernie Machen says he was "tremendously disappointed" with the school's decision.

"Jeb Bush has been a great friend of the University of Florida," Machen said Friday, adding that the faculty 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 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 rejecting the nominees put forth by the committees deciding on those deserving consideration.

(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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