Bad budgeting jeopardizes Florida’s bond rating

Florida’s public higher education funding crisis is only the tip of the bad budgeting iceberg. The legislature’s failure to find adequate revenue for basic operating costs and long-term savings may soon result in a lower statewide bond rating.

Last week, Moody’s Investors Service placed Florida on its watchlist for a possible credit rating downgrade. In explaining the decision, it referred to: “the negative credit impact from a precipitous drop in revenues brought on by a protracted and deep dislocation in Florida's real estate market as well as the current recession.”

The company also stated that the watchlist action “reflects the continued decline in employment and personal income, relatively flat population growth and net migration.”

If Florida’s bond rating is downgraded, the state government will have to pay much more in interest whenever it borrows money. Taxpayers will have to cover those increased costs while receiving fewer state services due to budget cuts.

Moody’s said that Florida could improve its standing through:

-Restoration of a high level of reserves.

-Adherence to structural budget balance while also absorbing spending pressures.

-Adoption of a budget with less dependence on nonrecurring solutions coupled with a plan to restore reserves over the mid-term.

Rep. Dean Cannon (R-Winter Park), chief budget negotiator for Florida’s House of Representatives, claimed the watchlist news gave further evidence showing why the Senate should agree to more spending cuts that will go into the state’s reserves.

However, Moody’s Vice President Mark Tenenhaus recently told the press that savings are “just part of the bigger picture.”

Some of the credit weaknesses that Cannon failed to address from the Moody's report include:

-Employment dislocations and an unemployment rate that exceeds national averages.

-Unusually high reliance on economically sensitive sales tax, approximately 80 percent of fiscal year 2009 general fund revenues to date, that creates increased potential for financial volatility.

Budget matters and the BOG

Fourth-quarter funds restored

On Tuesday, Gov. Charlie Crist released the funds he initially withheld from each state agency’s fourth-quarter release.

In March, the governor decided to hold back 15 percent of the total appropriation for each agency was initially not released in order to allow monitoring of the economic outlook and factoring in monthly revenue and federal stimulus implications.

"The release of all remaining funds is recognition that the anticipated general revenue deficit for fiscal year 2008-09 has been resolved," said Jerry McDaniel, the governor’s budget director.

The 15 percent holdback prompted FAMU’s administration to recommend a four-day work week from May 29 to August 7, which was recently approved by the Board of Trustees.

Tuition up, spending down

As expected, the Florida Legislature continued its long-established pattern of using tuition increases as a cover to decrease overall spending on public higher education.

A bill permitting every state university to raise tuition by up to 15 percent “differential” that goes beyond the rates set in the annual appropriations bill is headed to the governor’s desk. It is expected to receive his signature.

In the meanwhile, the state House and Senate are continuing negotiate proposed cuts to the State University System. The House still wants to slash $200 million from universities.

Bill telling BOG to “back off” clears Senate

SB 234, which clarifies the authority of SUS boards of trustees, cleared the Florida Senate on Tuesday.

The legislation calls for trustees to exercise the exclusive power to appoint and supervise the institution’s chief executive.

Last year, Florida’s Board of Governors introduced a controversial proposal to increase its presence in the hiring and evaluation processes for university presidents. The idea met fierce resistance from boards of trustees across Florida.

SB 234 is widely seen as a rebuff of the BOG’s desire to exercise more control over university administrations.

FAMU facing 15% 4th quarter budget reduction

Bill to clarify BOT authority

Opinion: SUS leaders chose poor lobbying strategy

There’s no doubt that the Florida Legislature is the primary culprit behind today’s State University System funding crisis. But with that being said, it’s important to note that the lawmakers had accomplices: the Board of Governors and the 11 SUS presidents.

The SUS leaders all understood that the legislature has a long history of raising tuition in one hand while cutting multimillions from public university budgets in the other.

But even with that knowledge, they went along with a plan to permit every university to increase tuition by an up to 15 percent “differential” that goes beyond the rates set in the annual appropriations bill.

Many legislators are now using the differential as a political cover to justify deeper cuts to public universities. They claim that the SUS can simply make up the difference through longterm, annual tuition hikes.

It should be noted that the SUS leaders did not anticipate that universities would face a potential reduction of $200 million. But, the BOG and presidents should have known that their support of the differential would embolden the lawmakers who think it is a good idea to slice and dice university budgets.

Better budget proposals were available. Senate Democratic Leader Al Lawson proposed zero tuition hikes, zero educational spending cuts, and closing sales tax loopholes in order to find more revenue for areas such as the SUS.

“Dumping tuition hikes into the laps of students and their families is the wrong move at the wrong time,” Lawson said. “It’s the latest in a long line of bad moves shifting the state’s funding obligations down to the people, and the people are suffering enough.”

However, the SUS leaders chose to work against Lawson’s initiative by playing right into the hands of the “hike tuition-reduce spending” majority in the legislature.

Since most FAMU students simply take smaller course loads as college gets more expensive, it’s questionable whether FAMU will be able raise revenue from tuition increases. Also, smaller course loads hurt FAMU’s graduation rate.

Maybe next year, the SUS leaders will understand why it’s important to hold the line against tuition increases instead of providing legislators with an easy excuse to take away even more educational dollars.

Pictured: University of Central Florida President John Hitt and FAMU President James Ammons pleading against SUS cuts at press conference held last week.

Lawson, Graham flag dangers of differential plan

FAMU’s course load cliff

Tag tries “to get a break” for state workers

Florida Senate Minority Leader Al Lawson has a reputation for tough talk against budget cuts to state workers. But on Monday, he used another method to make his point: humor.

Lawson jokingly proposed a “Can a Brotha Get a Break” car plate featuring his image on the Senate floor. The legislation said that “fees shall be distributed to the State Employees Relief Fund for the purpose of offsetting salary and benefit cuts by the Legislature and providing grief counseling.”

State employees could face severe pay reductions, furloughs, or layoffs under the spending plans being debated between the two chambers. Lawson is waging an uphill battle to stop this from happening.

Amid laughter, the senators initially approved the plate through a voice vote. Lawson later withdrew the amendment.

Rattler lawmakers square off with Crist over stimulus

After engaging in a highly publicized war-of-words with Congressman Kendrick Meek and state Senate Minority Leader Al Lawson, Gov. Charlie Crist and Education Commissioner Eric Smith submitted Florida’s application for public education stimulus dollars.

Florida is eligible for $2.7 billion in education funding for grades K-12 over the next few years, but is required to first submit an application. The state will likely need an additional waiver because of reductions in education funding levels since 2006.

Smith said that he was waiting to get more detailed guidelines about the waiver process, but the U.S. Department of Education said Florida does not need that information in order to apply for the funds.

Meek denounced Smith’s actions as foot-dragging.

"I voted for the passage of the stimulus bill based in part on the education dollars that Florida would receive,” Meek said. “I know that Florida schools are in dire need of these monies, and that schools' reserve funds are depleted. Without these dollars, the educational gains that Florida has made over the last few years will be lost to us as teachers are laid off, programs cut, and schools closed. Every moment that is lost to inaction in the waning days of the legislative session further ties the hands of school district administrators.”

Smith, though, defended his actions.

"It's a matter of timing," Smith told reporters. "The worst thing to have would be the expectation we'd receive funding through the application process and then find there's a problem with the waiver."

Those comments led Lawson to fire off a follow-up letter to Crist and Smith expressing exasperation on behalf of the Senate Democratic Caucus.

“We are stunned that with less than a week to go in the 2009 Legislative Session, Commissioner Eric Smith has yet to submit the necessary paperwork to draw down federal stimulus dollars Florida desperately needs and on which our final budget depends,” he stated.

Crist and Smith confirmed that they sent the paperwork off last Friday.

Funding for public education has been reduced by approximately $1.1 billion in the last two years. The state's budget has been reduced by approximately $13 billion over the last two years, while Florida's taxable base for schools has declined from $344.8 billion to roughly $342.2 billion since 2006.

Naysayers can’t hide truth about FAMU law

Anti-FAMU internet trolls, spammers, and naysayers love to predict doom and gloom without any factual basis.

Back when former Interim President [You-Know-Who] got FAMU in trouble with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, the naysayers said it was all over.

Today, thanks to the leadership of President James Ammons and his administrative team, FAMU is in good standing with SACS and ACPE.

The naysayers ignored a simple truth; those accreditation problems had nothing to do with FAMU’s academic quality. They had everything to do with an incompetent interim administration. When FAMUans finally succeeded in pushing [You-Know-Who] and five of her trustee cheerleaders to get lost, things got better.

[You-Know-Who] withheld critical resources and money from the pharmacy and law schools. Ammons has made it a priority to heal that damage.

Now that FAMU Pharmacy is back in top form, the naysayers are holding out hope that FAMU Law won’t make it. They’re falsely claiming that FAMU Law is nowhere close to meeting the American Bar Association’s minimum bar passage rate.

Here’s what the ABA actually says about the bar passage requirement:

Interpretation 301-6

A. A law school’s bar passage rate shall be sufficient, for purposes of Standard 301(a), if the school demonstrates that it meets any one of the following tests:

1) That for students who graduated from the law school within the five most recently completed calendar years:

(a) 75 percent or more of these graduates who sat for the bar passed a bar examination, or

(b) in at least three of these calendar years, 75 percent of the students graduating in those years and sitting for the bar have passed a bar examination.

2) That in three or more of the five most recently completed calendar years, the school’s annual first-time bar passage rate in the jurisdictions reported by the school is no more than 15 points below the average first-time bar passage rates for graduates of ABA-approved law schools taking the bar examination in these same jurisdictions.

FAMU’s naysayers usually focus on Test #2 and pretend like Test #1 (which takes overall bar passage rates into account) doesn't even exist.

According to FAMU’s March 2008 ABA report, the college’s overall bar passage rates have been the following: June 2005, 70.6%; February 2006, 71.4%; July 2006, 70.3%; February 2007, 70.9%; and July 2007, 81.3%.

Those numbers do not include the FAMU students who have re-taken and passed the bar exam since that report came out last year. FAMU Law still has a viable shot at meeting the standards set by Test #1.

The ABA is set to make a decision in August. Even if FAMU Law does not comply with the ABA’s bar passage requirement by then, denial of accreditation is not automatic. The ABA has the flexibility to provide an extension.

So yes – FAMU Law has some work to do. Many FAMU law students will be studying to re-take the bar exam. And, they’ll be joined by many other law students from UF, FSU, and the University of Miami.

Update:

In a Tallahassee Democrat news article published today, FAMU Law Dean LeRoy Pernell stated that the college's overall bar passage rate is about 80 percent.

RN Fact Check: FAMU’s bar passage rates

First-try bar passage rates drop across Florida

FAMU law defying critics

Rattlers to rally against cuts

FAMU supporters will protest against disappearing dollars at 10 a.m. today in the Florida capitol building’s rotunda. The demonstration is being led by the Rev. R.B. Holmes, Jr., vice chairman of FAMU’s Board of Trustees.

The Florida House of Representatives recently passed a budget that would tear $22 million from the university’s recurring revenue. If adopted, FAMU will have to lay off hundreds of employees, implement furloughs, close academic programs, and eliminate adjunct teaching positions.

Overall, the House spending plan would reduce the State University System’s budget by about half-a-billion dollars.

In a statement published in today’s Tallahassee Democrat, FAMU trustees said:

We have all worked hard to offer viable solutions for facing the current recession. The SUS is the economic engine for progress in this state. Without our graduates, the state lacks the workforce to attract business and commerce; to manage and operate the businesses that are here; to serve the retirees and tourists; or to provide the weekend entertainment and cultural retreats of a "stay-cation." Our university system deserves better treatment.

FAMU to present Clinton with honorary degree

FAMU will present former U.S. President William Jefferson Clinton with an honorary doctorate of humane letters at the spring 2009 commencement exercise.

During a recent FAMU Board of Trustees meeting, the board unanimously approved the Faculty Senate’s recommendation.
Clinton, the nation's 42nd president, will serve as keynote speaker for the 9 a.m. commencement.

“We are honored to present President Clinton with a doctorate of humane letters from FAMU,” said President James Ammons. “His years of service to our country and selfless service in the fight against HIV/AIDS, global warming and economic opportunity have made him more than a suitable nominee for this honor.”

Elected President in 1992, and again in 1996, President Clinton will share his life lessons with graduates and challenge them to “transform ideas into action.”

Since 2001, President Clinton has dedicated himself to philanthropy and public service through his foundation. He also joined forces with former President Bush with relief and recovery efforts following the tsunami in Southeast Asia, and led a nationwide fundraising effort in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

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OT: Golden Girl Bea Arthur dead at 86

Stage and television legend Beatrice Arthur has died.

"The larger-than-life actress who scored on Broadway as the original matchmaker in Fiddler on the Roof and the hard-drinking actress in Mame before she went on to star in the groundbreaking '70s TV series Maude and, in the '80s, the beloved sitcom The Golden Girls, has died. She was 86.

"A spokesman for Arthur's family told the AP that the star had been suffering with cancer, though he did not specify what kind. She died peacefully at her Los Angeles home with her family by her side."

The tall actress with the deep voice was known for her razor-sharp comedic delivery. Arthur won a Tony Award for "Mame" and a critic lauded her performance as "a portrait in acid of a savagely witty, cynical and serpent-tongued woman."

Just last year fellow Golden Girl Estelle Getty went to be with the Lord.

Meek concerned about Obama’s Cuba policy changes

Early last week, U.S. President Barack Obama announced a sweeping overhaul of longstanding travel and gift restrictions enforced on Cuban American families.

In a move he described as a “basic right” and step toward “grassroots democracy” throughout Cuba, the president lifted all restrictions on visits and monetary aid between Cuban Americans and their loved ones on the island.

Obama also opened the way for American companies to provide telecommunications, radio, and satellite services to the country.

Congressman Kendrick Meek, a FAMU alumnus who represents many Cuban Americans in his Miami district, responded with words of support and caution.

He applauded the president’s decision to let Cuban and Cuban American families see more of each other.

“I have always supported the Clinton policy of allowing Cuban Americans to visit loved family members on the island nation and was strongly opposed to the decision by President Bush to reverse that policy in 2004,” Meek said. “Under the Bush policy, by being allowed to visit Cuba once every three years, Cuban Americans were given a false choice and often faced an impossible decision: Either to visit a gravely ill family member or attend their funeral. That policy did not reflect American values and my position has remained that families should not be further punished for living under the Castro regime.”

However, Meek asked Obama to rethink his position on remittances, or financial transfers, between Cuban Americans and their relatives living under Raúl Castro’s government.

“Since the Castro regime controls all movement on the island nation, I am concerned that when unrestricted remittances are allowed to flow from hardworking Cuban Americans in Florida and throughout the United States to their family members in Cuba, the Castro government will confiscate a high percentage of those dollars further propping up a regime that suppresses human rights, freedoms and personal mobility,” Meek stated. “To have remittances meant for family members in Cuba siphoned off by the regime in Havana would be a deep insult to Cuban Americans everywhere and it is a practice the Cuban government should end.”

Obama carried the state of Florida in Election 2008, even though 65 percent of the state’s Cuban American voters backed Republican candidate John McCain. Meek is vying to become Florida’s first black U.S. senator and is working hard to peel as many Cuban American votes away from the GOP as possible.

Nationwide, two-thirds of Cuban Americans support Obama’s Cuba policy changes.

FAMU law tops diversity rankings

FAMU’s College of Law holds the top spot on the U.S. News and World Report’s 2010 “Best Law Schools” diversity rankings, tying with Texas Southern University.

In explaining its ranking methodology, U.S. News stated: “Our formula produces a diversity index that ranges from 0.0 to 1.0. The closer a school's number is to 1.0, the more diverse is the student population. Law schools that enroll a large proportion of students from one ethnic group, even if it is a minority group, don't score high in this index.”

FAMU and TSU both received a 0.65 index.

Currently, FAMU law’s student population is 47 percent black. During the first three years after its reopening in 2002, the college’s black student numbers declined, falling to 36 percent in 2005. That percentage climbed up to 44 the following year.

The law school is seeking to move from provisional to unconditional accreditation with the American Bar Association. Following a recent visit, an ABA site team gave positive feedback to FAMU officials.

For more background, check out: At FAMU law, blacks a minority.

FAMU law still facing growing pains

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ABA team cites improvement at FAMU law

Ammons to join SUS leaders in pleading against cuts

FAMU President James Ammons fears that the sweeping budget cuts proposed by the Florida House of Representatives will devastate the university he leads.

He’s not alone.

At 10:45 a.m. today, Ammons and Florida’s ten other public university presidents will hold a press conference at the state capitol to voice their concerns about the House budget.

Both chambers of the legislature plan to cut State University System funding. The Senate would take $250 million from the universities. The House would take twice as much - $500 million – plus another $100 million in salary reductions.

“Our universities have already lost over a quarter-billion in state support, in previous budget reductions,” said University of North Florida President John Delaney, who assists the Board of Governors with legislative affairs. “If the House takes another half-a-billion, the consequences would be more than serious. Numerous degree programs will be shut down, people will have to give up their jobs, and some branch campuses may be closed. We want to avoid that, and we know the House members do as well.”

Ammons says that if lawmakers approve the House’s proposed $22.7 million in cuts to FAMU, it could result in 200 employee layoffs, no summer school, no adjunct instructors, and no satellite campuses.

Last month, Gov. Charlie Crist responded to Florida’s revenue shortfall by instituting an emergency 15 percent budget holdback for all state agencies. FAMU may have to adopt a four-day work week, additional hiring freezes, and salary reductions as early as next week.

The latest news from the capitol isn’t good. Senate President Jeff Atwater (R-North Palm Beach) recently confirmed that he is open to slicing deeper into the SUS budget if the House agrees to hike fees and surcharges.

Legislature lights another budget bomb for SUS

For years, Florida has had a policy of encouraging as many high school students as possible to take academically rigorous Advanced Placement courses.

It's a laudable policy because students enrolled in AP and International Baccalaureate courses are better prepared for college-level work and, thus, more likely to earn college degrees.

Fast forward to this year and it's clear that the Florida Legislature has higher priorities than encouraging academic excellence through properly funding its state universities.

How else can one explain the legislature's willingness to severely cut state universities rather than raise the necessary funding to support it?

While neither chamber has done enough to find new revenue, the Florida Senate has taken some small steps in the right direction by voting to raise cigarette taxes and plugging up a real estate transfer tax loophole.

Still, both budget proposals rely heavily on short-sighted financial measures that will not fix the state’s long-term money problems: massive spending cuts, trust fund sweeps, fee increases for government services, tuition hikes, gambling expansion, and use of federal stimulus dollars.

Most lawmakers would rather short-change state universities than overhaul tax exemptions that benefit the state's wealthiest indviduals and corporations.

But from the two choices, the Senate budget would inflict much less pain on FAMU.

Under the Senate plan, the State University System would face a 6.7 percent cut in general revenue. FAMU would loss $6.9 million. The House version of the budget would slash 22 percent from public universities, which would mean a $22.7 million cut at FAMU.

It is a shame lawmakers aren't willing to invest in academic excellence in order to build the kind of university system Florida needs to dig its way out of this economic crisis. Reducing funding for state universities is but a symptom of a much larger malady at the Capitol.

You might also be interested in: Budget emergency spurs new tax talks

FAMU facing 15% 4th quarter budget reduction

Opinion: Fix Florida's tax code - now

Pharmacy Dean receives award from peers

Henry Lewis III, Ph.D., dean and professor of pharmacy practice at Florida A&M University's (FAMU) College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (COPPS), is the 2009 recipient of the American Pharmacists Association's (APhA) Hugo H. Schaefer Award.

Established by APhA in 1964, the Hugo Schaefer award recognizes outstanding voluntary contributions to the organization, the profession and society. The award was bestowed upon Lewis at APhA's Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Antonio, Texas. APhA's awards program is pharmacy's most comprehensive recognition program

Lawson celebrates joint victory for tax reform and Florida’s environment

For more than two years now, Senate Democrats have made tax fairness a driving priority of the 14-member Caucus. By closing certain loopholes tailored for the state’s elite, the Democrats argued, programs could be preserved and devastating budget cuts could be prevented.

Last week, that message won broad bipartisan support with the unanimous passage of Senate Bill 2430, a measure sponsored by Senate Democratic Leader Al Lawson (D-Tallahassee) and Sen. Dan Gelber (D-Miami). By closing the real estate transfer tax loophole, a documentary stamp evasion tactic tapped by deep pocketed special interests, money will now be available to help continue “Florida Forever,” the popular state land preservation program.

“Florida Forever had itself become an endangered species,” said Lawson, who with the co-sponsorship of Sen. Carey Baker (R-Eustis), tacked on the Florida Forever amendment to the loophole closure bill. “By asking everyone to pay their fair share, especially those who have long evaded that responsibility, we were able to rescue a program critical to our state and generations to come,” he added.

Under SB 2430, a loophole created by the state Supreme Court in the “Crescent” opinion will now close. The tactic was predominantly used by corporations such as high end developers to evade paying the doc stamps Floridians typically must pay when buying and selling real estate.

For example, two years ago, three South Florida prime commercial properties reportedly sold for $600 million but paid the state only $2.10 in doc stamps. That’s because the loophole allowed the transactions to be recorded at only $10 each, costing the state $4.2 million in doc stamps.

While the legislation passed last Friday will continue to allow certain exceptions to doc stamp levies, such as transfers used for estate planning, closing the Crescent loophole on real estate transfers to artificial entities is expected to net Florida an estimated $50 million to $400 million annually.

By closing the loophole, approximately $10 million of the new funds will now go to generate $100 million in bond money to fund Florida Forever. Until now, the program had been targeted for suspension due to Florida’s crippling budget crisis.

FAMU students cited as "best" at policy conference

FAMU student delegation named best in state at the Florida ENLACE --Engaging Latino, African-American, and other Communities for Education--- Education Policy Conference.

ENLACE is a statewide network funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to promote college readiness, access and success for Latinos, African-American and other underrepresented students.

Sixty-four college students from across the state of Florida convened for the first ever student education policy conference to deliberate the state of public education in Florida and recommend means by which it can be improved. Students from eight universities (FAMU, FAU, FIU, FSU, UCF, UF, UNF, and USF) studied and debated four critically important policy issues. The issues were adding rigor and relevance to Florida’s high school curriculum; reforming failing high schools; reforming the Bright Futures Scholarship Program; and expanding the system of higher education to accommodate increasing student demand and need.

A delegation from each university prepared recommendations for an assigned policy issue prior to attending the conference and presented the information to the entire group. The group debated and approved resolutions to present to the Florida Legislation.

The FAMU delegation was made up of: Willie Barnes, a public relations student from Lakeland, Fla, Kianta Key, a public relations student from Atlanta, Ga, Candace Hemphill, a healthcare management student from Pensacola, Fla, Alexandra Lee, a healthcare management student from Tallahassee, Gregory Woodall, a physics student from Atlanta, Mathia Sweet, a healthcare management student from Panama City, and Vincent Evans, a political science student from Jacksonville.

Former FAMU talent show winner releases CD

It's been about four years since R&B artist JaMiel Cox won first-place at FAMU’s Homecoming Talent Show. His passionate rendition of Musiq Soulchild’s, "Love" received thunderous applause from the sea of students.

At that moment, the Fort Pierce native began to seriously consider a future as a professional singer.

This ambition led him to move to Orlando and train with Charles Watkins, one of the original "Drifters” and the father of R&B sensation T-Boz.

Since officially launching his career, Cox has sung back up for Angie Stone and performed at the Trumpet Awards in Atlanta. He pre-released his first single last year to test the market for his musical acceptance. His song, "Lost," soared to the top of the Internet R&B charts at # 14. Cox’s music is still climbing the charts in Japan and Europe.

Cox’s credits for the upcoming CD project titled "The Up and Downs of Me" read like a Who's Who of the American music industry. His line-up of producers includes individuals who have worked with music celebrities such as Bobby Brown and Kanye West.

"The title of the CD speaks for itself,” Cox said. “It is about life as I know it and I am sharing that with the people I love, and my fans," he said. "Love, Being Lost, Finding the right Woman, Making a living, etc. is what my project is all about."

More information about Cox's CD and upcoming appearances is available here, at his website.

Opinion: Athletic deficit reduction plan raises red flags

Last week, Rattler Nation raised a simple question: Does FAMU Athletic Director Bill Hayes’ athletic fee budget projection for 2009-2010 consider the likelihood that most students will take smaller course loads next year?

Based on what FAMU shared in its official statement on the athletic department’s deficit reduction plan, the answer appears to be “No.”

Developed in conjunction with the Division of Administrative and Financial Services, Hayes’ five year blueprint to get the department in the black relies heavily on a proposed five-percent per year increase in the student athletic fee.

FAMU’s press release stated: “The student fees projections were based on the 2008-2009 school year credit hours to reach 13,000 students by the year 2010-2011, with a five-percent increase annually in athletic fee, based on the 2009-2010 school year.”

That is very questionable math.

Most of FAMU’s students are in the lower division (less than 60 credit hours). Since 1998, these students have steadily decreased their course loads in response to the rising cost of college. Pell Grant increases have done nothing to reverse that trend.

With the statistics showing that FAMU’s average lower division course load has dropped like a rock over the past decade, what makes Hayes believe that trend will suddenly stop now?

If Hayes bases his future budgets on the assumption that student course loads are going to remain at 2008-2009 levels, and then most students reduce their course loads as usual, it will be mathematically impossible for the athletic department’s budget to balance out.

That could make the department’s $5.7 million deficit grow even higher.

Hayes is off to a bad start in his effort to convince FAMUans that he is taking the right steps to get the athletic department’s finances on the right track.

The student body should be aware that it has no obligation to sign on to this plan. Florida law requires all athletic fee increases to be recommended by a committee that contains at least 50 percent students. The student members are appointed by the SGA president.

Before FAMU students even consider supporting any future increases in the athletic fee, they should demand that Hayes answer the following question:

"Knowing that the athletic fee went up last year, why did the athletic department still amass a $3.1 million deficit in addition to the $2.6 million deficit it already had?"

Opinion: Trustees should ask tough questions about athletic fee budgeting

Tickets limited for Clinton address

The graduating students slated to hear former U.S. President Bill Clinton at their commencement might have to scale back their list of ceremony invitations.

Due to the huge expected turnout, each graduate attending the 9 a.m., Sunday May 3rd ceremony will be limited to ten tickets for family and friends.

“Our first priority is our graduates,” said Henry Kirby, chair of the commencement committee and dean of students. “We want to ensure that members of their family have an opportunity to be seated. We have received an overwhelming number of calls from the general public who want to attend the 9 a.m. ceremony. We believe that we have developed a solid plan that will provide an opportunity for many to have access.”

The FAMU Schools and Colleges graduating at the 9 a.m. session include: the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Law, the School of Architecture and Environmental Sciences Institute.

Participating faculty members can pick up one ticket each at the provost’s office. A limited amount of tickets are available for the general public on a first-come, first-served basis. These tickets will be available at the FAMU Office of Communications

Tickets will not be required for the afternoon sessions.

The speaker for the 2 p.m. commencement ceremony will be U.S. Congressman Kendrick Meek and the 6 p.m. speaker will be CNN Anchor/Special Correspondent Soledad O’Brien.

Ammons adds context to graduation rate

In a recent interview with FAMU President James Ammons, Tallahassee Democrat Associate Editor Meredith Clark asked him to comment on a critical issue: the university’s graduation rate.

42.2 percent of FAMU’s black students graduated within six years.

Ammons explained that FAMU’s students often take longer to graduate because of the length of time required by their majors.

As the article reported: “Forty percent of FAMU students are in a science or science-based major, such as pharmacy (six years), engineering (five years), architecture (five years) or allied health, which now requires a master's degree.”

Nationwide, most college students take six years to finish a four-year baccalaureate degree. Considering that fact, it is understandable that the 40 percent of FAMU students in five-year plus programs need even more time.

However, Ammons pointed to rising college costs as the number one factor that hurts the FAMU’s graduation rate.

Most of FAMU’s students come from low-income families. When tuition and fees rise, they usually enroll in fewer courses.

"These are students who can't call home and say, 'Mom, I need $1,000 for a class,' " Ammons said. "Ninety percent of FAMU students are on financial aid."

FAMU has the highest reported student debt average in the State University System.

Many FAMU students try to avoid deep debt by working. During the 2006-2007 school year, FAMU had more students in federal work-study jobs than UCF, FAU, or UNF (which all have larger enrollments than FAMU). Large numbers of FAMU students also interrupt their education to work until they have enough money to re-enroll. Those trends all hurt the graduation rate.

Ammons has taken some big steps to help students graduate faster, including hiring a new director of retention and calling for students to be given more help in applying for financial aid.

However, the FAMU administration’s support for an up to 15 percent differential tuition increase next year could have an unintended negative affect on the graduation numbers.

Thanks to U.S. President Barack Obama’s American Opportunity Tax Credit, thousands of FAMU students will be eligible for a Pell Grant increase next year. But, if FAMU leaders dump a heavy differential tuition hike on students that eats up all the new financial aid, the problem will remain the same. The students who are working long hours and enrolling in fewer classes each semester will have to continue that pattern.

The maximum Pell Grant award increased from $3,000 in 1998 to $4,310 in 2007. But still, the new financial aid did nothing to stop FAMU’s lower division credit hour loads from dropping. Pell Grants have not kept pace with tuition hikes.

The tuition hikes that FAMU's administration is supporting will probably lead students to cut down their course loads, again. Smaller course loads will not help the graduation rate, at all.

Leave “ranking game” rhetoric out discussion on FAMU’s grad rate

Tuition price hurting FAMU students

Fee breaks could generate revenue

FAMU’s course load cliff

Students taking on more credit card debt to pay for college

Despite the credit freeze, American college students last year used credit cards more than ever before, including charging tuition and other direct education expenses, according to a new study from Sallie Mae, the nation’s leading saving- and paying-for-college company.

Nearly one-third, or 30 percent, put tuition on their credit card. That was an increase from 24 percent in 2004, when the study was last conducted. In total, 92 percent of undergraduate credit cardholders charged textbooks, school supplies, or other direct education expenses. That’s up from 85 percent in the previous study.

Students who used credit cards to pay for direct education expenses estimated charging $2,200, more than double 2004’s average of $942.

“Too many students are at risk of overpaying for college by pulling out credit cards to pay for textbooks or even part of their tuition bill, instead of using less expensive financial aid to cover these items,” said Marie O’Malley, director of consumer research for Sallie Mae and author of the study. “Students and families need to build a comprehensive budget ahead of time to cover not only tuition, but also other necessities like supplies and travel costs that contribute to the overall cost of college.”

84 percent of undergraduates had at least one credit card, up from 76 percent in 2004. On average, students have 4.6 credit cards, and half of college students had four or more cards. The average (mean) balance grew to $3,173, higher than any of the previous studies. Median debt grew from 2004’s $946 to $1,645.

The higher the grade level, the more heavily students used their credit cards, with seniors graduating with an average credit card debt of more than $4,100, up from about $2,900 in 2004. The study found that freshmen carried a median debt of $939, nearly triple the $373 in 2004. Only 15 percent of freshmen had a zero credit card balance, a dramatic drop from 69 percent in the 2004 study.

Many college students seem to use credit cards to live beyond their means—not just for convenience—and more than three-quarters incurred finance charges by carrying a monthly balance.

The study also found that only 17 percent of the students said they regularly paid off all cards each month. Another 1 percent had parents, a spouse, or other family members paying the bill. The remaining 82 percent carried balances and thus incurred finance charges each month.

Student debt is a huge problem at FAMU. Most of the student body comes from families that make less than $40,000 per year. By the time they graduate, FAMU students owe an average of $29,742 each. That was the highest reported number among all Florida’s public universities. Many students try to avoid additional debt by working long hours and taking smaller course loads, which hurts FAMU's graduation rate.

FAMU students drowning in debt

First-try bar passage rates drop across Florida

Every accredited law school in the Florida experienced a sharp drop in its first-try bar passage rate in February 2009.

FAMU went from 67.9 percent in July 2008 to 52.3 percent in February 2009. Florida International University, which led the state, went from 90.6 percent to 81.5 percent.

The University of Miami experienced the most noticeable change. It went from holding the top spot in July 2008, with 92.4 percent, to 61.1 percent in February 2009. That represented a difference of 31.3 percent.

The average bar passage rate for non-Florida law schools was 73.7. FIU and Stetson were the only two Florida schools that surpassed that percentage.

Sources: Florida Board of Bar Examiners, sunEthics

Have you read?: Bar passage rates up at FAMU Law

Bar passage rate jumps at FAMU Law (2007)

Bar passage rates drop at FAMU Law (2007)

ABA team cites improvement at FAMU law

More than a month after a site team from the American Bar Association visited FAMU’s College of Law, university officials believe they are a step closer to the goal of full accreditation.

Based on what the ABA team told President James Ammons and Dean LeRoy Pernell in a recent wrap-up interview, the two believe the group reacted positively to the college’s improvements.

“They appeared to be impressed with the progress we’ve made so far,” he said.

The ABA team of six legal education and university administrators will not determine compliance or non-compliance with the organization’s “Standards for Approval of Law Schools” but will report its findings back to the full body. A final decision on the law school’s application for full accreditation is expected by August.

On the Orlando campus, students, faculty, administrators and staff are still donning green “Destination: Accreditation” T-shirts. The theme has come to symbolize a genuine culture change at the law school. What started out as a public awareness campaign in preparation for the ABA site visit has evolved into a long-term, campus-wide commitment to propel the FAMU College of Law to the next level of greatness with academic and administrative enhancements.

The changes – including 16 new faculty members and a new Center for International Law and Justice – were on full display in late February when the site team spent four days observing law school operations.

First on the team’s agenda was a tour of the campus, where the team noted the building’s technological advantages and witnessed facility upgrades including the FAMU Café, which opened in December 2008, and the FAMU College of Law Bookstore, which opened in January 2009.

The team reviewed University and law school policies while meeting with University officials, including Ammons, Provost Cynthia Hughes Harris, CFO Teresa Hardee, CIO Robert Seniors, and Vice President for University Relations Carla Willis.

The team also attended a reception hosted by the Orlando Magic, during which they were greeted by a cadre of community supporters including FAMU Board of Trustees Chairman Bill Jennings, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, other elected officials, members of the College of Law’s Board of Visitors, representatives of the law school’s Alumni Council, business leaders, judges and other constituents.

In-between visits to classrooms, where they spoke with law students in the full-time day and part-time evening programs, team members met with administrators to analyze organizational processes and with faculty to review curriculum and scholarship.

The ABA granted the FAMU College of Law provisional approval in August 2004.

FAMU EIT receives $1.2M grant

FAMU’s Division of Enterprise Information Technology will receive a $1.2 million grant over a five-year period from CampusEAI.

The money will cover the costs of hardware, software, project management, installation, training, support and services associated with the implementation and ongoing maintenance of a campus portal.

CampusEAI is a non-profit information technology services and consulting provider.

“In recognition of FAMU’s needs and requirements, the Consortium has extended an unprecedented CampusEAI OnDemand Portal grant to provide the institution with access to the best technology available and ensure the successful deployment of an enterprise portal solution for the campus,” said Anjli Jain, executive director of CampusEAI Consortium.

As a recipient of the grant, FAMU will receive a five-year cumulative total of approximately $1.2 million in CampusEAI myCampus software and services.

The CampusEAI grant will assist FAMU with the establishment of an enterprise portal for the primary purpose of providing better service to all its students, faculty, staff, researchers and other stakeholders of the institution such as, alumni, vendors, prospective students and certain collaborating entities.

“The implementation of the myCampus enterprise portal fits perfectly into EIT’s vision to deliver innovative IT services and cutting edge technology to the FAMU community,” said Robert Seniors, CIO and VP for Information Technology at FAMU.

“The myCampus portal will allow us to provide a learning environment for the University’s students, faculty and researchers, that enables them to be competitive with other scholars in the historically favored and highly resourced higher education environments," he continued. "It is critical to build and maintain the highest quality information technology infrastructure to support the University's mission."

More photos from gym's grand opening

FAMU President James Ammons’ Twitter page includes a small gallery of photos from last week’s historic Multipurpose Center Teaching Gymnasium ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Check out the rest here.

Journalism, Graphic, and Photography students win 14 Florida AP College Press Awards

We wanted to update a story that was first reported here about broadcast journalism students who won first-place awards at the state associated press college press awards.

It seems, that while the broadcast students were dominating at the AP Awards in Orlando,journalism, graphic and photography students were "handling their business" at the Florida College Press Association (FCPA) Better Newspaper contest.

All told, the students combined to win 14 awards.

Alexis Blackwell won a first place AP Award for “Best Radio Newscast” for WANM 90.5. She attributes her win to SJGC faculty support.

The list of winners “speaks volumes about what’s happening in the classroom,” said Keith Miles, general manager for WANM 90.5 radio and a broadcast journalism instructor.

The complete list of winners is as follows:

FAPB Winners
1st Place — Best Radio Newscast, Alexis Blackwell for WANM 90.5, “WANM News”

1st Place — Best Photo Essay, Ashley Carnegie and Alexandra Dor for FAMU-TV 20, “Obama: Impact on America”

1st Place — Best Sport Feature for Radio, Dexter Johnson for WANM 90.5, “Primetime Sports”

1st Place — Long Hard Radio News Feature, Jermaine Fletcher for WANM 90.5, “AIDS: The New Black Plague”

1st Place — Short Light Radio Feature, Xion Lester for WANM 90.5, “Question of the Day”

1st Place — Long Light TV News Feature, Maria Osler and Markita Andrews for FAMU-TV 20, “In Their Eyes”
[Note: This documentary on blindness will be show during the Tallahassee Film Festival, April 16- 18, more details at www.tallahasseefilmfestival.com.]

2nd Place — Best TV Newscast, Saundra Weathers for FAMU-TV 20, “News 20 @ 5”

2nd Place — Best Sports Feature for TV, Alicia Mitchell for FAMU-TV 20, “FSU Basketball”

2nd Place — Long Light Radio News Feature, Dexter Johnson for WANM 90.5, “FAMU Football Coach”

FCPA Winners
1st Place — Best Feature Writing, Ashley Brown for The Famuan

1st Place — Best Photography, Taylar Barrington for The Famuan

3rd Place — Best College Newspaper, The Famuan

3rd Place — Best Front Page Design, The Famuan

3rd Place — Best General News Writing, The Famuan

FAMU lines up star-studded speaker list

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton will lead the larger-than-life list of speakers scheduled for FAMU Spring 2009 Commencement on May 3, 2009.

Clinton, founder of the William J. Clinton Foundation will address students slated to receive degrees at the first of three sessions beginning at 9 a.m. in the new Multipurpose Center Teaching Gymnasium. The other speakers are: U.S. Congressman Kendrick Meek and CNN Anchor/Special Correspondent Soledad O’Brien.

Elected president in 1992, and again in 1996, Clinton will share his life lessons with graduates and challenge them to “transform ideas into action.”

Since 2001, Clinton has focused philanthropy and public service through his foundation. He also joined forces with former U.S. President George H. Bush with relief and recovery efforts following the tsunami in the Indian Ocean, and led a nationwide fundraising effort in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

During the early morning session, the University will present an Honorary Doctorate to Elder Ernest Ferrell, President of the National Primitive Baptist Church. Ferrell, a native of Tallahassee, is active in the community and also serves as president and CEO of the Tallahassee Urban League.

The second commencement session will be held at 2 p.m. Meek will address the graduating class. Meek an alumnus is one of two Floridians who serves on the Ways and Means Committee and the only Floridian Ways and Means member of the Democratic majority.

Meek earned a bachelor of science in criminal justice in 1989 from FAMU. An experienced legislator who served eight years in the Florida House (1995-1998) and Senate (1999-2002), Meek launched the initiative to reduce class sizes in Florida schools.

In 2007, he was appointed to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. He is one of only 12 members of Congress to represent the United States on that body. Meek is the son of former Congresswoman and alumna Carrie P. Meek.

At 6 p.m. O’Brien will offer words of advice to graduates. Since joining CNN in 2003, O’Brien has reported breaking news from around the globe. Her award-winning documentaries have helped the nation understand issues affecting the African-American community. One of her most recent projects include CNN Presents: Black in America, a ground breaking initiative that focused on the state of black America 40 years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

O’Brien was part of the coverage teams that earned CNN a George Foster Peabody Award for its Katrina coverage and an Alfred I. duPont Award for its coverage of the tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia. She has also won an Emmy for her work as a co-host on Discovery Channel’s The Know Zone.

Completing the evening session, President James H. Ammons will present Art Collins, president and CEO for Public Private Partnership, Inc., with an Honorary Doctorate. Collins is a former member of the FAMU Board of Trustees. He served as Senior Political Strategist for U.S. President Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign. Following the election he served as a public liaison with the Presidential Transition Project.

Pictured: President Clinton and Congressman Meek.

Also see: Kimbro summer graduation speaker

Community center named for Calhoun

A late FAMU football legend is receiving a huge honor in his hometown.

Solomon Calhoun, St. Augustine’s first All-American football player, will become the namesake of St. Johns County’s newest community center.

The county commission voted to dedicate the facility to him earlier this week.

According to the St. Augustine Record, the “$6.2 million, 18,000- square-foot facility sits on 10 acres at the south end of Duval Street and will contain an Junior Olympic size swimming pool, a smaller practice pool, a full basketball court, a performance stage, a fitness room, a splash zone, a library and rooms for games and classes, such as yoga, dance or karate.”

After graduating from FAMU, Calhoun initiated a long career as a school administrator and sports coach. He served as principal of Excelsior High School on Central Avenue (now Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue) from 1955 to 1968.

His mentees included Willie “The Galloping Ghost” Galimore, who became a three-time All-American football player at FAMU and went on to play for the Chicago Bears.

After district officials shut Excelsior down, Calhoun became the St. Johns County School District’s first black truancy officer.

The grand opening of the Solomon Calhoun Community Center is scheduled for 10 a.m. on April 25th.

Trustees should ask tough questions about athletic fee budgeting

Last year, the Board of Trustees voted to increase the athletic fee from $8.90 to $10.07 per credit hour. If trustees approve the University Student Fee Committee’s recommendation, it will go up by another $0.84 to a total of $10.91 per credit hour.

That number is smaller than what Athletic Director Bill Hayes wanted. He requested a $2.00 increase, for a total of $12.07 per credit hour. According to him, that rate would generate $3.2 million dollars.

Before hiking the athletic fee any higher, the trustees need to ask some tough questions. First, knowing that fees went up last year, why did the Athletic Department still amass a $3.1 million deficit in addition to the $2.6 million deficit it already had? Right now, the department is a staggering $5.7 million in the red.

It looks as if Hayes is depending on students for a bailout.

That leads to a second important question: Does Hayes’ athletic budget projection for 2009-2010 consider the likelihood that most students will take smaller course loads next year?

Most of FAMU’s students are in the lower division (less than 60 credit hours). Since 1998, these students have steadily decreased their course loads in response to the rising cost of college. Pell Grant increases have done nothing to reverse that trend.

Smaller course loads will directly affect athletic fee revenue.

If Hayes bases his 2009-2010 budget on the assumption that student course loads are going to remain steady, then that could set the department up for another big deficit.

The trustees have a responsibility to make sure that the athletic budget is realistic.

Athletic deficit nearly doubles

FAMU’s course load cliff

Ribbon cut on teaching gym

Yesterday, FAMU hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its $40 million Multipurpose Center Teaching Gymnasium with more than 500 in attendance to share in the excitement. The new 135,000 square foot facility will be home for the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) and the men’s and women’s basketball programs.

With the capacity of seating approximately 9,639, the gymnasium will house classrooms; a dance studio; computer lab with 24 workstations; TV production room; a banquet room; a separate hydrotherapy area featuring a Swimmex Therapeutic Pool; an examination and treatment area; and rehabilitation area, to name a few.

Members of the Florida Senate, Tallahassee City Commission, Leon County Commission, and Tallahassee Area Convention and Visitors Bureau participated in the celebration.

“More than 40 years ago, I played in Gaither Gymnasium,” Sen. Al Lawson said. “To be here today for the opening of this new facility is like a dream come true. I would pass by here every day to make sure it [multipurpose teaching center gymnasium] had not moved. One day my granddaughter will have a chance to play is this gym.”

FAMU President James Ammons gave remarks on how he too watched the gymnasium come to a reality.

“During my tenure as president, I watched this building evolve and I must say that I am very pleased with the results,” Ammons said. “This is a fine facility that the University is very proud to have on its campus.”

Mayor John Marks and Sharon A. Liggett, president and CEO Tallahassee Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, said that the new gymnasium would be another asset to the Tallahassee community.

“I have the privilege to promote and market Tallahassee and this new facility,” Liggett said. “I hope we can work together with this new and wonderful asset FAMU possesses to bring more people to this beautiful city.”

FAMU students were also quite impressed with the new facility.

Sheena Dixon, a broadcast journalism student, commented: “This is a state-of-the-art facility. As a student I take pride in seeing FAMU grow.”

Marsha Butler, a business administration student, was mesmerized by the design and layout of the gymnasium.

“Absolutely amazing,” Butler said. “I thought I was at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. I feel like I was making history with FAMU today.”

Funding for the multipurpose teaching center gymnasium was provided by the Public Education Capital Outlay (PECO).

The first event scheduled for the new facility will be the spring commencement scheduled for Sunday, May 3.

Lawson tries to derail “choo choo to nowhere”

Alarmed by the determination of some Republican leaders to push ahead with the controversial $1.6 billion train deal despite Florida’s increasing job losses, Senate Democratic Leader Al Lawson (D-Tallahassee) and incoming Senate Democratic Leader Nan Rich (D-Weston) on Monday called on the legislature to reverse course on the project and return the money to whence it came.

“More than $600 million was siphoned from shovel-ready transportation and infrastructure projects in towns and communities thoughout Florida in order to deliver a sweetheart deal to a multi-billion dollar private company championing a train even Mickey Mouse can’t use,” Lawson said.

“This money needs to be returned to the districts to immediately begin those road and infrastructure projects derailed by the CSX deal. And the money needs to be used to offset skyrocketing hikes in “fees” Floridians are facing for basic motor vehicle services,” he added.

The Democrats’ alternative plan is twofold. It calls for slamming the brakes on the $159 million Republicans are proposing to raise on title renewals, drivers’ licenses and ID cards, and registration fees to offset the state’s budget hole.

Additionally, it advocates using the remaining amount, more than $480 million to launch the many transportation and infrastructure projects throughout Florida indefinitely delayed by the state Department of Transportation as it quietly diverted the money to obscure accounts earmarked for CSX.

The call by the Democrats comes as Florida, along with the rest of nation, continues to reel from the latest unemployment numbers. Nationally, the unemployment rate rose to a 26-year high of 8.5%, with 660,000 Americans losing their jobs in March alone.

Florida’s latest job losses are expected to be disclosed April 17th. In February, however, the state unemployment rate stood at a staggering 9.4 percent.

“Subsidizing a private railroad corporation on the backs of our motorists and those desperately seeking jobs is unconscionable,” Lawson said. “With almost one million Floridians out of work and the number rising, let them explain to the people whose money they’re spending, just what’s more important? New jobs or a choo choo to nowhere?”

Meek raises $1.5M; launches petition drive

Since announcing his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in January, Congressman Kendrick Meek has raised $1.5 million. Now, he’s taking on yet another challenge: qualifying for the race by petition.

Most federal office seekers in Sunshine State get on the ballot by paying a fee. However, office seekers can also qualify by collecting 112,476 signatures from registered voters of any political party.

Meek wants to be the first U.S. Senate hopeful to accomplish that feat in Florida. He believes the petition tour will help him meet more citizens and build a stronger grassroots network across the state.

Commenting on his petition drive kick-off in Orlando last Thursday, Meek said: “I have to confess—it brought me back to 2002 when so many of our fellow Floridians joined us in the movement to sign another petition allowing citizens to vote on amending the constitution to make class sizes smaller in Florida. We were successful in 2002 and we’ll be successful again in 2010.”

The campaign went on to collect signatures in Hillsborough, Volusia, Duval Counties. Yesterday, Tallahassee Mayor John Marks and FAMU Professor Sharon Wooten led a Meek petition rally in the capital city.

Meek rallies Dems to defend class size caps

Clinton raises big money for Meek

Rattlers bringing new movie to the big screen

FAMU grads Rob Hardy and Will Packer are preparing to bring their latest feature film to the "big screen" OBSESSED later this month. The film is set for release on April 24, and features Beyonce' Knowles, Idris Elba, and Ali Larter.

The story line centers around a successful assets manager Derek (Idris Elba) who receives a major promotion, is blissfully happy in his career and in his marraige to the beautiful Sharon (Beyonce'). When Lisa (Ali Later), a temp worker,starts stalking Derek, all the things he's worked so hard for are placed in jeopardy.

Packer serves as executive producer of the film. You can peep the movie trailer here.

You might also be interested in other movies by this talented Rattler duo: This Christmas

Stomp the Yard

Band member snags prize internship with FoxMusic

Ralph Jean-Paul, FAMU Marching 100 Band President, has been selected for a summer internship with the Fox Music Experience in Los Angeles, Calif.

Jean-Paul is a senior music education major from Miami, Fla.

“When I was told that I got the internship, it was almost unreal,” said Jean Paul. “I’ve had plenty accomplishments dealing with music, but nothing like this.”

The Fox Music Experience is a music internship/immersion program that works in conjunction with the Honda Battle of the Bands to help expose HBCU student musicians to the broader world of music and entertainment.

“This unique experience is being offered to only two students from two of the Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase bands,” said Barbara Ponce, manager of the American Honda Motor Company.

Launched last year, the program offers student musicians the opportunity to spend a few weeks in the summer working on the Twentieth Century Fox studio lot learning film and television music production first hand.

You might also be interested in: 100 takes home $20,000 from Honda

FAMU journalist win 9 awards

Students from the FAMU School of Journalism, this morning, won nine awards at the Florida Associated Press Broadcast awards in Orlando. FAMU students claimed six first place awards and three second place awards.

Stay tuned to RN for more information.

You may also be interested in: FAMU Journalist named "Best in the South"

FAMU students dominate '08 AP awards

Rattlers conclude spring drills with Orange & Green game

The FAMU football team will concluded its spring football drills today with the Orange and Green football game at 5 p.m. in Bragg Memorial Stadium. The game will have some of the usual flare — band and cheerleaders and all.


For the football team the game will be much more than an exhibition to see how far it has come since spring practice started 14-days ago. Every man will be under coach Joe Taylor's radar.

With only a few exceptions, Taylor said, every other player will be rated from ground zero.

"We are looking for top contributors," Taylor said. "We are trying to get to a point no matter where we were last year."

The green team will be made up, more or less, of potential starters. The orange team will consist of second team players. The third string will get playing time with the orange team.

They'll play 12-minute quarters, with a 10-minute half. Kickoffs will be live only to start the game and the second half.

SBI students tour China

This past spring break, a contingent of students, and faculty, from SBI traveled to the People's Republic of China to experience first-hand Chinese culture and business. While in China the group from SBI visited business centers in Shanghai, Beijing, and the "Great Wall".

SBI dean dismissed

Why nobody wants to sit with Lydia

After nearly three years on the job, SBI Dean Lydia McKinley-Floyd was dismissed yesterday by Provost Cynthia Hughes Harris. Shawnta S. Friday-Stroud, a professor of management, took over immediately as interim dean.

McKinley-Floyd will stay on as a professor in the school. When selected as dean in 2006, many felt that she was least qualified for the position.

Prior to coming to FAMU, McKinley-Floyd served as associate dean of the College of Business at Savannah (GA) State University. She earned a salary of $180,000 a year as SBI dean.

Under her leadership, SBI continued to sputter much like an aging automobile badly in need of a tune-up. Faculty and staff morale in SBI was low, and students and alumni were unhappy. This past summer, she ran off the architect of SBI's highly successful Wall Street project, which placed 45 students in internships on "the street".

McKinley-Floyd is said to have failed to deliver on her promise to move the school closer to accreditation, and was reportedly a an inadequate fundraiser.

McKinley-Floyd was SBI's third dean since the retirement of founding dean Sybil Mobley. A search committee is expected to be formed soon with the goal of having a new dean in place by August.

SBI dean dismissed

Rattler Nation has learned that SBI Dean Lydia McKinley-Floyd has been terminated. McKinley-Floyd was appointed dean July 18, 2006 by former interim president Castell Bryant.

More on this story as it develops.

King wants to be chancellor

Back in 2005, the Florida Board of Governors put the brakes on one of state Sen. Jim King’s pet projects: a chiropractic school for Florida State University. During the previous year, King had used his power as senate president to put the $9 million item in the budget.

FSU professors and medical doctors across the Florida launched a fierce lobbying campaign against the proposal. Many denounced chiropractic as a “pseudoscience.”

The BOG’s “no” vote was a not-so-subtle jab at King’s judgment on higher education matters.

What a difference four years makes. Today, the buzz is that the BOG might actually think King is the best person to lead the entire State University System.

The hints are overwhelming. The St. Petersburg Times, which tends to give the BOG its most sympathetic coverage, was the first to be tipped off about King’s interest in being chancellor. Former chancellor Mark Rosenberg eagerly heaped praise on the senator.

"Jim King gets the challenges we have,” Rosenberg told the Times. “He understands the issues. He has a passion."

Rattlers know King best for his recent attempt to give FSU 100 percent control of the joint College of Engineering it shares with FAMU.

Still, FAMUans won’t be alone in viewing “Chancellor” King with suspicion. The chiropractic school blunder could become a major public relations stain for the BOG if he is hired. King and the other chiropractic school supporters failed to engage FSU’s faculty before they tried to push the new college. Professors across the entire state are likely to question his commitment to transparency and shared governance.

The King-for-chancellor talk appears to be the latest effort to fix the BOG’s credibility problem with the Legislature.

In 2007, the BOG sued the legislature for control over tuition rates. Also, in response to SUS budget cuts, the board froze freshmen enrollment at a number of public universities. The moves prompted an angry backlash from lawmakers; the BOG has been a political outcast ever since.

By appointing King, the BOG could begin mending fences with the legislature. However, its old credibility problem will be replaced with a new one: Florida’s public university faculty and the national academic community are likely to see the BOG’s self-proclaimed commitment to high academic standards as nothing but hot air.

But from the looks of things, the BOG might be just fine with that trade-off.

King says transfer of E-College budget to FSU is "a done deal"

Chancellor search: BOG aims to fix credibility problem