U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio's teaching post at FIU draws scrutiny

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/u-s-sen-marco-rubios-teaching-post-at-1535754.html

Florida International University political science Professor Nicol Rae concedes his class on the legislative process can get a little dry.

"It's not easy to teach things like Senate procedure. It's important, but it's arcane stuff - the filibuster, reconciliation bills," Rae said. "It's often hard to get students to grasp that."

So Rae is enthusiastic about co-teaching the course next spring with Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, who Rae said will "bring the class to life."

The Florida Democratic Party says Rubio's new $24,000-a-year teaching fellowship at the Miami school brings to life a different political lesson.

Noting that Rubio briefly held a $69,000-a-year teaching job at FIU after he helped bring money to the university as Florida House speaker, Democratic Party spokesman Eric Jotkoff accused Rubio of taking another "sweetheart job" from his "buddies" at the school.

SNIP

In 2008, when Rubio's term as speaker of the Florida House was winding down, he landed a $69,000 unadvertised teaching position at the school.

Opponents raised the matter during Rubio's Senate campaign, noting that the university was awarded a $15 million hurricane center and other projects while Rubio was speaker. A Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times article in 2009 concluded that Rubio might have helped FIU get money early, but all the projects already had been scheduled for funding by the state's Board of Governors.

He isn't even teaching the class by himself.