NOTE: This is the third and final part of RN’s special series on “Growing more STEM degree recipients at FAMU.”There was no coincidence behind the timing of the Florida Board of Governor’s Pappas Plan announcement in 2007 and former FAMU Interim President Castell Bryant’s attempt to give away Rattler Country’s portion of the College of Engineering it shares with Florida State University. As RN reported yesterday, the BOG has been less than supportive of FAMU's Center of Excellence in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology (COESMET). Pushing FAMU out of the joint engineering college would have barred the university from implementing at least four of the new Ph.D.s it was approved to offer.
While FAMU will be the sole owner of all COESMET’s degree programs, the Ph.D.s in Computer Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Biological Systems Engineering, and Agricultural Systems Engineering all require access to the E-College’s courses and lab facilities. Permitting FSU to muscle FAMU out of the E-College would have prevented any of those doctoral programs from getting off the ground.
The joint E-College was established to produce more minority engineers, particularly blacks and women. COESMET – which aims to help reverse the trend of black underrepresentation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fields – directly compliments the E-College’s mission.
One of the biggest sources of contention within the E-College is that FAMU, as the fiscal agent/budget manager, refuses to dignify elitist “ranking games.” FAMU wants to provide access to “diamonds in the rough”; the rankings game rewards universities that limit their admissions to students with the highest standardized scores. FAMU wants to educate as many minority students as possible; the ranking game rewards universities that reject the most applications, often at the expense minority students.
The rankings that FAMU cares about aren’t based on “selectivity.” They’re based on academic performance. FAMU wants to be known for successfully educating the largest number of blacks with baccalaureates, master’s degrees, and Ph.D.s. It doesn’t want to be known for turning away the largest number of students.
FAMU’s critics need to understand that the university isn't backing down from its access-based mission and won’t sit passively while the access-based mission of the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering is compromised.
Great Writing! Now if this were some gossip there would be 25 comments!! Real topics cause only real people to comment. This type of journalism does not exist at the Democrat. Yet, resassured that if this was about FAMU losing a PhD program it would be front page news in every paper in the state. But, when it is about the powers to be who were led by Ol' Jeb refusing to adhere to the rules of the game and simply changing the game then no mention of it. I do not care how you dress it racsim is alive and well!
ReplyDelete^^
ReplyDelete"Yet, be assured..."
There are plenty of good items that people don't necessarily comment on. But I get the drift.
I love it!!!!!!! Stay the course FAMU.
ReplyDeleteAwesome. Andn thanks for tying in the history.
ReplyDeleteFor anyone that is knowledgeable:
ReplyDeleteWas the Engineering school situation similar to that of the Law school where FAMU originally offered the program...then the program was eliminated or made a joint project to accomodate fsu? Will someone explain the history behind the joint Engineering school? Thank you!
Here's how the FAMU NAA prez explained the COE's history to the governor.
ReplyDeleteMarch 28, 2007
The Honorable Charlie Crist
Office of the Governor
The Capitol
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001
Dear Governor Crist:
It was approximately 1950 when the Florida A&M University (FAMU) College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (COPPS) and the Law School were established. The same legislation that gave FAMU the ability to establish the COPPS and the Law School also gave it the authority to establish a College of Engineering (COE).
When that right was executed to have an engineering school, Florida State University (FSU) also wanted an engineering school. At that time, the two human areas underrepresented in engineering were African Americans and women. Of course, African Americans were the main stay of Florida A&M University (FAMU), and women were historically the main stay of Florida State University (FSU). It was thought that the joint school would be a great idea and the legislation approved this idea since the two institution related to these two human areas. On the surface this spoke to a great need in our society. With the joint College of Engineering, FAMU was to become a force in producing African Americans and FSU in producing women engineers, since both had a history of serving these populations well.
The start of the COE and the building of the facilities for it were hampered by a disagreement over where the COE should be located. FSU wanted the COE facilities in Innovation Park and FAMU wanted the COE to be built in the Alberta Crate Factory area. This disagreement was settled by FAMU agreeing to locate the facility in Innovation Park concomitantly with the operating budget for the COE being transferred to FAMU permanently.
The joint COE was included in the state's plan as a part of the settlement with the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Civil Rights (OCR). This was the State of Florida's response for desegregating their higher education system.
The transfer of the operating budget from FAMU to FSU will completely eradicate any meaningful control by FAMU in the joint college of engineering. FSU already has the dean of COE on their payroll. The majority of the faculty members are members of the FSU's faculty and FSU has placed extra personnel in the COE. The net impact of the removal of the operating budget essentially makes the joint COE, the Florida State University College of Engineering offering spaces to FAMU students. It will completely obliterate the jointness of the college and undermine the original intent of the statute creating the joint COE and essentially destroy the COE as a viable entity and a source of desegregation of higher education.
We request that no action be taken on this until President-elect James H. Ammons has had a chance to get on board and a chance to examine the issues that is promoting this request. Dr. Ammons will be able to discuss and promote an acceptable solution other than completely stripping FAMU of its administrative and budgetary control of the COE.
We are well aware that FSU even when the operation of the joint COE was being conducted under satisfactory conditions wanted to take charge of the total operation of the joint college. A maneuver similar to this was stopped by the former governor and the former chancellor of the State Board of Regents, at that time.
As all of you know, engineers, computer scientists and scientists are grossly underrepresented in the American social order. At the national level we are granting Hb-1 Visas to allow engineers, computer scientists, and scientists from India and China to come into America to work for high tech industries. In light of this, every caution should be taken not to erode the ability of the joint college to produce engineers. We need the joint college to be at its best in producing engineers and in keeping with the needs of the nation and of our state. Literally giving the operating and administrative authority to FSU will demoralize and impact the ability of FAMU to participate with enthusiasm in the joint college. We ask you to be mindful of all these reasons and do not take any actions on transferring the budget without giving FAMU and its new president the opportunity to address any concerns.
Do not commit this act especially in light of the fact that the new leadership is coming to FAMU and understands the joint college of engineering and the vital importance of FAMU's successful involvement.
Sincerely,
Alvin Bryant
President
FAMU National Alumni Association
CC: The Honorable Ken Pruitt, President of the Senate
The Honorable Marco Rubio, Speaker of the House
Chairwoman Carolyn Roberts
great article rn! good on you guys!
ReplyDeleteSuch biased, blatant and arrogant lies in regards to FSU on here lately. It's really sad. Can't you inform about FAMU without trying to blame everything on FSU?
ReplyDelete