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Cash Strapped FIU Looking To Add More Students

WEST MIAMI-DADE (CBS4) -Looking for a way to fill the gap in state funding, Florida International University will be welcoming a lot more new students.

The school's Board of Trustees unanimously approved a 5-year plan Thursday to bring 2,000 new students a year onto the campus, according to CBS4 News Partners The Miami Herald.

The school currently has nearly 42,287 students enrolled. By 2015, it will be nearly 53,000.

FIU President Mark Rosenberg doesn't want to stop there. Over the next decade, the goal is to have more than 60,000 students attending classes at the university.

``It's clear to us that there's going to be a growing demand for higher education in this country, and it's clear to us, given our demographics in Florida, that there is a growing demand for higher education here,'' Rosenberg told the Herald before Thursday's vote. ``We don't want to turn our backs on the students of this community.''

The initiative is drawing criticism from both teachers and students. Students are concerned about the potential parking nightmares adding nearly 20,000 students will create. Teachers are concerned about the quality of the academics being affected. The school's administration has confidence that both will not be an issue.

FIU says the expansion is needed to build a stronger financial base in the future for the cash strapped school.

(© MMX CBS Television Stations. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report)

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