Rubio's teaching violates no ethics rules

MIAMI, June 2 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio's teaching of politics at a Florida university for $24,000 violates no senatorial ethics, the Florida Republican's office said.

"I love teaching," Rubio told the Shark Tank blog, which first reported his appointment as a senior fellow to co-teach four courses at Florida International University's School of International and Public Affairs in Miami over the next year.

His current class is "Florida Politics," which he taught from 2008 through 2010.

Rubio's FIU ties were questioned during his 2010 Senate run, when critics questioned how in 2008 he landed a $69,000-a-year, part-time teaching job as trustees grappled with a budget shortfall that led to tuition hikes and the loss of 23 degree programs and 200 other jobs, The Miami Herald reported.

Rubio delivered a commencement speech at the university Friday.

The Senate Ethics Committee, chaired by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., "concluded that his compensation is within the mid-range of the normal and customary amount set forth in the compensation schedule for senior fellows and for similar appointments at FIU," Rubio's office said.

Rubio will still hold down his Senate duties, his office said.