Preliminary enrollment figures show that about 11,400 students have enrolled in FAMU this semester, down about 500 from last fall.
The freshman class grew by about 300 students to about 1,700 students.
During his previous stint at FAMU, FAMU had an enrollment of about 13,000 students, new FAMU President James Ammons, told the Tallahassee Democrat.
The decrease in enrollment will cost FAMU about $2 million in lost funding.
"We've got to rebuild this enrollment," Ammons said. He started recruiting students last weekend before the Rattlers played the Southern Jaguars in Birmingham. He distributed 26 scholarships.
Also see: Enrollment cuts
365 days from now I predict 14,500 students @ FAMU.
ReplyDeleteWhile 11,400 certainly represents a huge backward slide from 13,000, it's not nearly as bad as what I had feared. We were at 10987 students in Spring 2007. I was scared that we might actually fall below 10,000.
ReplyDeleteWe should still be able to squeak out another victory as the top producer of blacks with baccalaureate degrees for this year. Howard University isn't looking to expand its enrollment by much. North Carolina A&T has close to 11,100, but FAMU can still edge them out.
FAMU, for the time being, has not been assigned an enrollment cap by the Board of Governors. That gives us some much needed time to repair the damage Castell did to the student numbers.
Rudy Slaughter is back! He and Bill McCray have gotten the Humphries-model recruitment machine up-and-running once again. They are not just recruiting at all the out-of-town football games; they're making numerous stops in between.
Dr. Ammons has stated that he'd like to push enrollment up to about 15,000. I believe Fall 2008's enrollment is going to make jaws drop and put the naysayers to shame.
FAMU will soon be #1 in National Achievement Scholar recruitment, again.
ReplyDeleteIt feels good to be a Rattler.
If we increase enrollment, then we also need to bring in new faculty. While enrollment increases are great and wonderful, if the infrastructure is not there, this can be a problem. Also, while people are shouting about enrollment figures, students are being stuff into classrooms like sausages. And when that happens, something has to give. I know, because I teach at FAMU. Dr. Ammons wants the university to return to the good, old days, but without improvements, faculty-wise, classroom accommodation-wise and services-wise, enrollment growth may pose a problem. It's one thing for the public to shout for joy at such figures, but it's another thing when you know the real facts and are not depending solely on what's posted in newspapers and on blogspots.
ReplyDeletecorreciton on the above comment:
ReplyDelete"...stuffed like sausages..." (past tense)
correction on the correction (on the above comment.
ReplyDeleteIt's one thing for the public to shout for joy at such figures, but it's another thing when you know the real facts and are not depending solely on what's posted in newspapers and on blogspots.
ReplyDeleteYour point is well-taken. However, higher enrollment is the key to receiving more state money for instructors and facility upgrades.
The Florida Legislature and Board of Governors require every state university to maintain a specific minimum enrollment (measured in credit hours). When an institution falls beneath that floor, it suffers financial penalties.
Accordingly, FAMU has suffered revenue losses not only in tuition and fees, but also in state FTE dollars.
Ammons is right on in pushing to get enrollment up to 15,000. That will guarantee that FAMU's state funding remains stable and will help FAMU make a strong case for additional classroom and faculty dollars.
Ammons is right on in pushing to get enrollment up to 15,000. That will guarantee that FAMU's state funding remains stable and will help FAMU make a strong case for additional classroom and faculty dollars.
ReplyDeletePresidents have always had a "strong case for additional classroom and faulty dollars." That is what they are suppose to do: present a good case for the university in each and every regard and aspect. But having a "strong case" does necessarily materialize into dollars. I know that we must begin somewhere. Talking is good, don't get me wrong, but but I'm a the university, I've been there a number of years, and I've seen a lot and heard more than a plenty, so and trust me on this one: for the most part these actions have simply not materialized. I'm not saying that they won't, I'm simply saying that they've not. So far, anyway.
Presidents have always had a "strong case for additional classroom and faulty dollars."
ReplyDeleteNot necessarily. In Florida, presidents must demonstrate that enrollment is either going up or already beyond campus capacity in order to attain additional faculty and classrooms. An enrollment decrease is the surest way to make the state ignore a president's pleas for financial relief.