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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida A&M University (FAMU) continues to attract students from across the nation as enrollment climbs, new academic programs are created and as the university continues to receive top billing in national rankings.
In the September 2008 edition of Black Enterprise magazine, FAMU was ranked 18th, but was still listed as the top public university for African Americans.
University officials believe its probationary status with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC) affected its ranking. SACS removed FAMU from probation on June 26, 2008. Last year, Black Enterprise ranked FAMU No. 1.
“It is indeed a new day, a new beginning, a new era of excellence with caring at FAMU as we embark on the ‘Year of the Rattlers’,” said FAMU President James H. Ammons. “FAMU remains a consistent choice for the best and brightest. Students from all over the nation are still making FAMU their No. 1 choice.”
Rising from 11,567 in fall 2007 to about 12,000, based on preliminary figures, enrollment has increased at FAMU by 3.7 percent. Ammons wants to raise FAMU’s enrollment to 15,000 students in the next five years.
“We are building our enrollment with students of promise,” said Ammons. “We believe in taking diamonds in the rough, polishing them through our academic curriculum and experiences, and transforming them into leaders of tomorrow.”
An increase in enrollment is not the only area FAMU is making strides. FAMU’s Division of Academic Affairs has established or re-implemented some of its academic programs.
According to Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Hughes Harris, the School of Allied Health now offers the doctoral program in physical therapy; the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences has implemented a new curriculum that supports the accreditation guidelines; the School of Nursing has implemented a new program to enhance its retention, remediation and progression; and the Division of Academic Affairs will revitalize its retail management certification program; re-established its Lyceum program, and established the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, which will coordinate academic programs for quality, accreditation, planning, assessment and budget.
Other areas where new initiatives are underway include the Division of Audit and Compliance. The unit is re-implementing the FAMU Compliance and Ethics Hotline. This reporting service allows individuals that are concerned about a possible violation of the law or policy and are uncomfortable raising it through normal channels. Global Compliance, an independent company that provides similar service for hundreds of companies and universities, provides this reporting service. Through this system, allegations can be reported 24 hours a day, seven days a week in a confidential setting without fear of reprisal.
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