By 2010 FAMU has a goal to increase its enrollment to 15,000 students, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Dainell Kennedy Lamar told the FAMUan newspaper last week. Lamar said that the administration understands that more students will require the appropriate infrastructure to accomodate the increase in enrollment."This is a gradual process," she said.
The university's year on SACS probation, stymied its recruitment efforts, Lamar said. Still, FAMU's enrollment is expected to grow to over 12,000 student this fall.
Photo: Brandon McCaskill
Also see: FAMU steps up recruitment
Castell had enrollment headed in the wrong direction
How are you going to boost enrollment, when you don't have decent dorms for students to live in. That's ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteI would like to see this plan take maybe 5-7 years instead of 18 months. This would give us a chance to grow the campus with QUALITY students. Numbers for numbers sake is how we get a lot of students who (God Bless 'em) have no business being in a 4-year institution right out of high school who will fail out by sophomore year.
ReplyDeleteSet the bar higher (min 3.0 GPA) to get in the school as a freshmen, and fill in the gaps with transfers from places like Miami-Dade CC and TCC. The transfers will come in a juniors and seniors, will likely not live on campus, and would have proven themselves in the CC/JUCOs to succeed at FAMU.
The graduation rate goes through the roof, more upperclassmen means more state funds, and we are still holding on to our mission of Love and Charity. Oh it's real.
Give me a break. We can increase enrollment and continue to improve the dorms at the same time. There are dorms at UF that still do not have air conditioning and yet the students sign up and move in! Why because of a since of "Gator" pride and there grandfather stayed there etc. But for some reasons at FAMU all "we" do is complain! Where is the building fund that any FAMU supporter or Alumni has started to bulid new dorms or remodel the dorms that are on campus. I think that the goal should have been 20,000 by 2012!
ReplyDeleteI agree with 9:38am with the Community College idea. Yet a 3.0 is an artifical number which really does not reflect on a students abilities to perform on the university level. In America everyone should have a chance. FAMU gave me mine and what I learned on that Hill allowed me to obtain an advanced degree!
ReplyDeleteAmerican Don, you have a solid plan. That is the problem, we try to do too much, too fast. I actually still live in Tallahassee so I see the state of the ONE male only dorm we have left. We need to repair/refurbish the male dorms so they can be opened up to accomadate students again. And a more gradual increase in enrollment will allow the time to do this.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I went to the FAMU donation page and do not see a section set aside for earmarking funds for "building/housing". Would like to see that so I can put my money where my mouth is.
I think you can put in a comment section that we can donate to whatever we want. If worse comes to worse, just mail the check.
ReplyDeleteHumphries set us up with large enrollment, but we still had killer dropout/dnf rates, despite the high acheivers. I would say it is almost criminal to accept a large group of students (and their financial aid money) that statistics show they will not make it through your program.
It's certainly a lot cheaper and fulfilling for them to take a couple years to work out whatever situation they had at home/high school and get their ish together at a CC, then transfer in to any school you want, including FAMU.
I've been saying it for years, but FAMU needs to form hard partnerships with CCs in the gulf coast area and recruit some of these babies to go there and then automatically transfer into Pharma/SBI/Engin if they make the grade. I think its a win-win-win.
I agree with most of your comments, however remember Kennedy-Lamar is a left over from the CASTHELL administration and tho she plays the game to keep the big bucks coming in she has no HEART for FAMU.
ReplyDeleteWe students finally get an opportunity to assist with recruitment. It was a very hard fight to make her see that we are the best marketing tool. She had no choice but to use us.
Before you start, I am NOT HATE'N, these are the facts. It is time for us to speak up.
I did not see any people of other color in the photo. Does ammons plan to recruit non blacks?
ReplyDeletewhat they didnt tell is that he is going to extreme measures to get those numbers up i.e. allowing tom dick and harry off the streets to come in, and allowing students with high dollars write off balances return.....and worse they are using future monies to pay past debts.... I smell illegal. now what did you say about castell bryant.... i praise her
ReplyDelete5:00pm proof that idiots are born everyday! Castell was an IDIOIT! Furthermore, we do not have 5-7 years! We lost 5years under Gainous/Castell/Bush. We were already at over 13,000 students 5 years ago. In addition, we should seek to double the enrollment of graduate students who do not need on campus housing. We should utilize the Law school in Orlando as a satellite campus in which Master's and Doctorate degrees could be obtained in the fields of Education.
ReplyDeleteTO: THE AMERICAN DON --
ReplyDeleteGod bless you for telling it like it is in your first paragraph. I teach there and there are a plenty students who should be attending a community college first, if they are in college at all. I know they nay-sayers will yell and scream at this assessment, but I know from whence I speak. Parents have got to stop pretending that lil' Bobo and Niecy are college material. There's absolutely no shame in folks not attending college. But we know, that parents want to send their kids to FAMU whether the children are ready or not. I think it does a disservice to the child when they are there for their parents' sake and not for their own, and there are plenty who fit this category. I see them every day. And it's not a pretty sight.
9:38, you just sound silly and ridiculous. We know you love the school, but darn, understand the truth about a situation before you gets to foaming at the mouth.
ReplyDelete5:45, are you crazy? the law school must abide by rules and regulations set forth by the ABA. Plus, plus, plus, the law school has its own problems without the university trying to bring in more problems than it already has and start up some more itshay down there. goodness gracious.
ReplyDeleteBefore Ammons tries to increase enrollment, he should revamp and/or clean house as far as that beast of a Financial Aid Dept, otherwise he will just have 15,000 more disgruntled students to deal with. That Dept has hurt FAMU's reputation more than any other. I think Ammons have done a great job but we need to tighten up on hiring practices and hire the best people for the job, regardless of color and professionalism has to be a priortiy.
ReplyDeleteTo American Don....I think 3.0 is a bit high of a GPA requirement, especially because we know that the high school system isn't equal....a 2.6 at a difficult school may equal a 3.4 or even 3.6 at one in a different school system or state. However, I do feel they need to do something to ensure "higher quality" students there.
ReplyDeletePersonally, most of the ones who aren't serious don't make it past their 1st or 2nd year...and EVERY school has those, even the rich schools where President's kids go...