While speaking yesterday at a Florida State University faculty meeting, President T.K. Wetherell took the opportunity to send a not-so-new message to FAMU just in time for the 10th president’s inauguration. He wants FAMU out of the joint College of Engineering – sooner rather than later.According to Wetherell, FAMU’s Board of Trustees will consider making “changes” to the current, shared engineering school arrangement at its upcoming December meeting. A WCTV-6 report indicated that he hopes this discussion will lead FAMU to leave the school for good.
“They're looking for a different mixture for their students and we're looking for a different mixture,” Wetherell declared. “Now, I'm not exactly sure where that's going to go at this point and time, but it's clear the status quo isn't working for them or us.”
T.K’s comments about FAMU and FSU’s different goals for the “mixture” of engineering students reflects one of the biggest sources of contention within the E-College. FAMU, as the fiscal agent/budget manager, refuses to dignify elitist “ranking games.” FAMU wants to provide access to “diamonds in the rough.” But 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 that FSU wants to play rewards universities that reject the most applications, often at the expense of minority students.
Last year, T.K. offered to “help” former Interim President Castell V. Bryant find more time to fix her financial mess by taking the E-College’s budget off her hands. This time around, T.K. is offering to “help” FAMU lobby for an E-College of its own if it agrees to leave the one in Innovation Park.
FSU’s president isn’t fooling anyone. Wetherell gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up to the Board of Governors’ Pappas Plan, which means he doesn’t think FAMU should have any graduate or professional programs. T.K. WILL NOT lobby for FAMU to receive an E-College that’s comparable to the current, shared one.
Here’s a better idea: If FSU’s so unhappy with the shared E-College, then it can sign full ownership over to FAMU. After that, FAMU could help FSU lobby for a new engineering school of its own.
Also see: Joint engineering college critical to FAMU's STEM Ph.D. ambitions
Castell wants to give engineering school to FSU
FSU moves a step closer to taking E-School
Now this is Rattler Nation... Let's "help" them lobby., is a much better idea. Smh.
ReplyDeleteI really hope Ammons and company hold their ground. The FSU administration needs to get over itself.
ReplyDeleteTK Want it All needs to sit down.
ReplyDeleteAmmons & Co. will indeed hold their ground.
ReplyDeleteWhat the heck is wrong with you people (please do not take "you people" as referring to "blacks")? I don't like Wetherell, but clearly this is one of the few times he did NOT stick his foot in his mouth in regards to FAMU.
ReplyDeleteHe is SUPPORTING FAMU. He will lobby the state for money for FAMU. It is unfair to BOTH schools to have to share a school with the other.
I would think FAMU would want its own Engineering College. It certainly doesn't sound like anyone is trying to take anything away from anyone else. If both schools agreed a split was for the best, it's not like the school that's "leaving" is going to leave prior to their new school being built. That, or they would maintain classes in the current buildings until their new school was built.
This seems like a great opportunity for both schools in my opinion. I wish you all thought that as well.
Have a fun, safe Homecoming everybody.
This is the problem with partnerships. There is always a partner that thinks the other partner is not pulling their fair share.
ReplyDeleteFeelings get hurt and the partnership dissolves.
In this case the article is very clear in the fact that FAMU wants to accept 'inferior' students into the college. FSU wants to be more exclusive. "Iron sharpens iron," says the good book. Accepting better students would make the program more challenging and more valuable.
I think FSU is right in this case.
A compromise: Perhaps the "diamonds in the rough" should prove themselves at the community college level (with the support of FAMU) before transferring to a prestigious university like FAMU or FSU.
Accepting marginal students is not a way to build a quality program.
Then my friend, if Weatherell wants to separate so badly, why doesn't he just "go away" and build his own school? If he wants to be "ranked" then he should ask for the money to build a "ranked" department. But why do that when you can just send FAMU packing? It's much easier to stay in the facility rather than build from the ground up or Weatherell would have chosen the latter. Why does it always have to be that FAMU has to leave when FSU wants their own department? You don't just say, "well I don't want to be together anymore so can you please move your things out of OUR house". And the reality is that there is NO WAY in hell that the board of governors is going to let FAMU and FSU both operate two engineering schools in the same city- not in Tallahassee anyway. So just cut the bull-. That's wrong with "us people". It's not good "for both schools" when FAMU has to rebuild from the ground up when they weren't the ones who made the proposal in the first place-and Weatherell knows that better than anyone. That's not support- that's looking out for your own interests.
ReplyDeleteI agree that TCC should be the "feeder school" for both FAMU and FSU, but I also don't think that FAMU should be sent packing to build a new department just because they choose not to be ranked when it's FSU that wants the change-just doesn't make much sense to me. If it were a simple as a change then Weatherell would have asked for money to build a new FSU college of engineering.
ReplyDeleteWhat's wrong with building a brand spanking new engineering school on FAMU's own campus? The current one is in the middle of FSU's SW campus.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't make any sense for FAMU to retain that while FSU moves elsewhere.
Just because FAMU would move to a BRAND NEW FACILITY, doesn't mean they would be getting the shaft. THEY'D BE IN A BRAND NEW BUILDING THAT TK WOULD HELP LOBBY FOR.
And seriously, neither school would be kicked out of the partnership until the new school was built and ready to open. There's no reason to be selfish about this is you're a Rattler.
For all those who think that TK will LOBBY for anything FAMU, you are a FOOL!!!! Please do not get offended,because it was not meant to offend.
ReplyDeleteYou all should do your homework on TK and the "good ol" boy network that created him and what he and his crew said about FAMU when "good ol" Jeb had the Toms over on the Hill doing his dirty work. These things are facts and it is not that hard to research.
Now, as far as the E-School lets make it clear that it was FAMU not FSU that wanted and fought for an E-School to begin with! FACT, the good ol white folk found themselves saying, "hey we need to make sure FSU is not left out." Hence, the FAMU/FSU E-School.
In addititon, when FSU got its Med school there were those in the FAMU community who said, "hey lets make this a joint school." TK SAID HELL NO!!!
TK is a WHITE WOLF IN SHEEPS WOOL!!! There is nothing that he will do for FAMU at all! It would take a legislative act anyway to remove FAMU and when Obama is Prez I am sure that we will get all we want and more in funding!!!
Why anyone on this site thinks that TKW would do anything for our university is simply beyond my comprehension. Why would he do such a thing? What's in it for him to even go there? Come on, now, people. Let us not be fooled by the old okey-dokey rhetoric. Let us use some critical thinking skills here.
ReplyDeleteAll of this assumes that you believe T.K. Wetherall's version of this story. This guy is about as sly as a fox.
ReplyDeleteFirst let me give my Rattlers some history and then some valid reason why or why not FAMU should leave the COE.
ReplyDeleteFirst FAMU wanted to have the eng sch built at an abandoned plant area that was not bias to either school in terms of location and ties (that shows leadership.) FSU wanted to build the school in innovation park, which at that time was mostly empty I assume. but wait there is more, remember that every school has a 10-15-20 year plan always on the books right. So therefore FSU knew their plans for the eng sch from the beginning which was to place it in a semi-FSU campus. Now, for example if you look at all the majour research institutes at the COE all are through FSU:
CAPS,HPMI,Magnet Lab, and a newly coming Centre for Aerospace. So there why would a student go to grad school at the COE through FAMU when they are just going to be working at a FSU Centre (you see the problem) then also students might say heck i'll just go to FSU from the get go (sad.)
Now if FAMU were the leave the COE they would have no majour place to do research (bad), but FAMU would be able to start anew. If FAMU stays it gets worse plain and simple, but the state needs to make sure both schools get equal money from the state, we all know how they like to give FSU more money.
My last comment because I can keep going on about the inequalities about the COE.
NO school should have so much influence over the university system, town, city and state, many times I feel smothered by FSU, looked down upon because I went to FAMU, and just plain disregard for our school, but I LOVE Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University until I die.
Has FAMU given FSU any reason to WANT to continue the partnership? With the recent and extensive history of fiscal mismanagement and integrity issues, why should FSU entrust FAMU with such a cooperative endeavor that puts its own reputation on the line?
ReplyDeleteNot only that, by why wouldn't FAMU want its own COE? It's obvious that the current state of things does not suit FAMU's mission to the best of its capabilities either--seems like it's unwieldy for all parties involved. Neither University is getting what it wants out of the deal as it stands at present, and it's a drag for both institutions. It's time to move on.
Does FAMU need to give FSU a reason to want to continue this partnership? As a bit of history, this E-School came about as a result of a state EEO settlement with the U.S. Dept. of Education Office of Civil Rights. FSU muscled in something that truly belonged to FAMU from the start.
ReplyDeleteThen why complain if they decide to bow out of something you apparently didn't want them involved with in the 1st place?
ReplyDeleteFAMU is not man enough to go it alone. They need to ride FSU's coattails. Let them do all the work right?
ReplyDeleteBottom line is that with a black president you will see interest in changing public money support for race specific old news institutions.
The public will get vocal about public money supporting an institution only interested in remaining black.
The Republicans will be sharpening their knives, and they should. You guys still think it is 1950.
2:50 pm get real! A Black president or not what the hell does that have to do with race in America, other than to say 99.9% of all Blacks voted for him along with a major number of Hispanics and some whites...
ReplyDeleteAfter Rodeny King the then LA Police Chief was fired and replaced by a Black man and NOTHING changed!!! Except for the chief.
So, get real and sharpen your knives you are right this isn't 1950 and we are not our parents parents generation so if white folk wanna fight we will give them one anywhere they want it....Court Rooms, Elections Booths(we are about to whoop you all in that one in less than three days), and anywhere else we have too!
As I say having a black president will stop the race card before it is even thrown. With Obama elected whites, hispanics, indians and asians will begin demanding that FAMU evolve like everyone else. There is no place for a institution funded with public money to be just for BLACKS. People will start demanding that FAMU move into this century. I welcome the change Obama will bring to the country and to racist institutions like FAMU. I voted for Obama my rattler friend. And will be demanding from my politicians change at FAMU as well.
ReplyDeleteFAMU is not man enough to go it alone. LOL........... They know they do not have what it takes to run their own E School. It is easier to sit back and do nothing and complain, playing the race card all the time. Sound familiar black community.
ReplyDelete"FAMU wants to educate as many minority students as possible; the ranking game rewards universities that reject the most applications, often at the expense of minority students."
ReplyDeleteFAMU does not want to educate minority students. If this were true the school would have recruited asians, hispanics, and indians.
FAMU wants to stay black at all cost. It is not interested in rankings, unless the Black is Beautiful Magazine says it is the number one place for blacks. Which you see posted all over the campus.
The poster of this article is angry and naive. I agree FAMU does not have what it takes to run its own school. They are scared period!
FAMU accepts all applications from all from races and gives everyone who deserves it a fair shot. There are many non-blacks that attend FAMU currently and I've have graduated with many as well. If you're so concerned that we don't have "enough" non-blacks, then get off your lazy a** and go get a head count to see how many there are. And then if you still aren't satisfied with the numbers, start recommending FAMU to some non-blacks you may know. The foul odor of ignorance is very apparent in this blog.
ReplyDeleteFAMU Forever
Obama Biden '08
Couple of points in response to some of the comments.
ReplyDelete1. No tax payer should have to support 2 schools in the same specialty 3 miles from each other. FAMU and FSU need to get over and figure a way to work together on this one. That includes T.K. not STIRRING THE POT with devisive ideas. There is a middle ground in this and the two schools need to find it.
2. Both schools have a long legacy of educating people of all ethnic groups in the community. That needs to be the focus going forward. Because of their histories, there is no reason to try and eliminate one school or the other.
3. While some FSU folks like to point the finger and say that FAMU's academic programs are not on par with FSU's, we have to remember that FSU isnt exactly in the highest pantheon of state universities. On a nationwide level UF is consistently ranked higher that FSU and then UF lags behind U of Michigan, OSU, UT Austin, the California schools etc. Getting your 'own' engineering school isnt going to change all that.
In the end, there are a lot of other areas both schools can focus on for improvement.
1. There are a couple of different ways to think about the issue of duplicity. One is that it wouldn't be any more duplicitous than any other program within the 2 universities. That is to say, there are already several degree programs that exist at both schools, so why would this be any different?
ReplyDeleteAnother way of viewing things, which surely wouldn't be to FAMU's liking, would be to admit that in the event of a split, chances are FAMU would only be able to sustain a handful of disciplines within engineering on their own. Perhaps electrioal and mechanical, say. Meanwhile, FSU would continue with a full boat of elec., mech, chemical, civil, computer, etc. So really, you'd only have 2 or 3 majors overlapping.
And to be truthful, TK isn't stirring a pot that hasn't been stirred before, by many, many folks. FSU's hopes to achieve acceptance into the AAU rest, in part, on the strength of the College of Engineering. Strong programs in the sciences and technology--which bring in a lot of grant money and notoriety on a national scale--are integral in becoming a member of the prestigious AAU. FSU has done a decent job of luring world-class centers and programs to the COE, but without full control of their own COE, they lack the ability to make as much headway as they want to.
2. It's true that both schools have a good history of ethnic/racial diversity; no one would disagree. Problem is that this seems to be FAMU's #1 goal, while it would rank lower on FSU's list of priorities, especially in light of the fact that they are seeking AAU membership. As distasteful as it may be, FSU MUST play the ratings game if it hopes to attain that goal, and FAMU seems deadset against participating in that game or helping FSU do so.
3. Attempting to belittle FSU's academic ranking and achievement only makes FAMUans look bitter. Truth of the matter is that FSU is one of the top 100 schools in the nation, and one of the top 50 public institutions in the nation. In striving to climb even higher, a stable and well-received COE is a HUGE piece of the puzzle. FAMU should not begrudge TK or FSU for wanting to step up to the plate and take control of their own destiny.
I see no reason why FAMU cannot run their own College of Engineering just like Florida State could run their own College of Engineering.
ReplyDeleteThe way I see it - if the Florida Legislature can give Florida Gulf Coast University, the University of Central Florida, the University of South Florida and Florida International University their own colleges of engineering, without sharing as much as a phone jack, it can damn well equip FSU and FAMU appropriately!
Stop the racism and sexism!! The Legislature slights both FAMU and FSU every hour they prolong this injustice! They only force FAMU and FSU to share due to the history FAMU has as an HBCU and FSU's 47 years as a women's college.
NO MORE!!! EACH deserves a college of engineering!
Come on you rattlers ya'lls ship is sinking, you might as well come on down to BCU where things are done right! We gonna kick ya'lls but again this year at the classic!
ReplyDelete^^^^Cookman just became a university (allegedly). So don't get on this blog talking about some high school in Daytona. You can join in on this conversation with the big boys in about 50 years when you all really have an establishment.
ReplyDelete10/31/2008 2:18 PM
ReplyDeleteYou're full of crap. It was FAMU's School first.
FSU was invited to join FAMU so TKW can go sit in a pit of heat.
To all you FAMU haterzzzzz haha chew on a stick a gum an keep your mouth shut. At FAMU we don't have pritzy chicks hopping around doing bullshit an idiot gay dudes ohh an talk about FSU airheads. Lmao!!! I'm a student at FAMU-FSU college of engineering, that's right FAMU comes first go look at the signs you morons. FSU you think you the shut!! It's a bunch of racist idiots, at FSU they're white white white an 2 blacks. An if you want to know you dumb idiots I'm not African American I'm white an Indian mix. Maybe FSU needs to stop putting on this show that life is so perfect I can fly like a bird, at FAMU we keep it real that's why you haters we got a black president!! No offense to the good whites on this forum but forget the ones on the menstrual. LOL!!
ReplyDeleteClearly everyone is missing the fact that the FAMU/FSU E-School started as the FAMU E-School! We built a great program and FSU decided that our students didn't "deserve" it. So they tried to take it an was able to boguard their way into going splitzies on something that wasn't theres or that they had a right to in the first place. Just like the TYPICAL WHITE PRIVILEGE attitude.
ReplyDeleteOf course half of FAM's school isn't enough for FSU. They've been trying to take what's ours from us for years.
If they are successful at taking our school, that will be the end of an engineering program at FAMU.
Let's be honest, standardize testing is in a way that trends high scores to a certain group of people intentionally to keep another group disenfranchised. Because these tests do not have a history of providing an equal chance of success for all ethnic groups, one cannot infer a low score as lack of ability.
Can't you see that TK has a problem with his privileged high scoring students fraternizing with the likes of Rattlers?