Backroom Briefing: Scott coaches 'em up at higher ed summit

By BRANDON LARRABEE
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, May 19, 2016..........Next Thursday afternoon, near the end of his "Degrees to Jobs Summit" in Orlando, Gov. Rick Scott will take the stage for a panel discussion with three of the most powerful men in Florida's higher education system.

Joining him for the panel that will cap off the two-day event? Florida State University head football coach Jimbo Fisher, University of Florida head football coach Jim McElwain and University of Miami head football coach Mark Richt. The trio --- who have 10 division titles, six conference championships and a national title among them --- will talk about "leadership and team building," according to Scott's office.

Fisher is best known for landing FSU its first national title since the turn of the century, McElwain for turning the Florida Gators into SEC East winners in his first season in Gainesville and Richt for building a consistent SEC contender in Georgia before fans tired of what seemed to be a rut that led to him and the school parting ways.

The venue is not unusual for the governor, who has often used summits on education and the economy to highlight his policy priorities. Neither is the chumminess with sports figures; Scott has often given recognitions such as the "Great Floridian" designation to star athletes and coaches like Steve Spurrier, Don Shula and Tim Tebow. But rarely has he married public policy and athletics quite as closely as he will with the final panel at the summit.

Overall, the list of panelists and speakers is a pretty eclectic group. It includes retired Gen. Lloyd Austin III, the former commander of U.S. Central Command; Stanley Escudero, a trustee at Daytona State College who has served as ambassador to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan; and John Sprouls, executive vice president of Universal Parks and Resorts.

Also on hand will be the usual assortment of state officials for this kind of event: Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, Senate President Andy Gardiner and the top-ranking officials for Florida's economic development and education agencies.

Some of the sessions will use the "Florida 1st" branding that Scott has started applying to his budgets and agenda: "Florida 1st for College Affordability," "Florida 1st for Personnel Management," and "Florida 1st for Articulation Agreements."

What is also somewhat notable is the lack of current college professors listed among speakers at the event --- at least among those announced so far. There will be university presidents, trustees and other administrators, some of whom have worked in academia before. But no one who is primarily involved in the teaching of higher education.

Earlier this month, Scott announced the summit and summarized its goals this way: "We want businesses to know that Florida graduates are ready to fill jobs in high-demand fields as soon as they get their diplomas," he said. "The Degrees to Jobs Summit will connect members of Florida's education system and business leaders to discuss how we can better prepare students to get a great education for a high-skill, high-wage job and graduate with a great career in the Sunshine State."

NOT THE ONLY PARTY IN TOWN

Scott's event next week won't be the only political gathering in Orlando. The Libertarian Party is also scheduled to hold its national convention at the Rosen Centre Hotel and Resort. The get-together for perhaps the most-noticeable third party in America is taking place almost two months before the Republican and Democratic parties host their election-year soirees in Cleveland and Philadelphia, respectively.

The convention is also structured a bit differently than the major parties. Pre-convention meetings will be held Wednesday and Thursday, followed over the weekend by the convention itself. (That will include meetings and talks on topics like, "Tired of being crucified on the waste-vote cross? Let's discuss alternative voting methods!", "How to Abolish Government in 3 Easy Steps" and "Bitcoin for the Future.")

The official presidential nomination contest is set for Sunday morning. The front-runner by far is Gary Johnson, a former Republican governor of New Mexico who also carried the Libertarian banner in 2012. The party is hoping that it can make historic inroads in this year's election, given the unpopularity of presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump and likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

TWEET OF THE WEEK: "Here's suggestion for #Florida which looking 4 help replacing state statue in U.S. Capitol."---U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (@marcorubio), R-Fla., who included a photo of former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and a link to a story about the state's search for a figure to replace Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith in the National Statuary Hall Collection. The Florida Legislature this year approved replacing the Confederate general's statue.