Obama nominates FAMU alum for ambassadorship

Teddy B. Taylor (center), a FAMU alumnus, is U.S. President Barack Obama’s pick for the ambassadorship to the Solomon Islands, Republic of Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea

Taylor has served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Human Resources since June 2006. Immediately prior to this post, he directed of the Bureau’s Office of Employee Relations.

A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Taylor began his diplomatic career in 1978. He has served as U.S. Consul at the American Embassy in Budapest and the U.S. Interest Section in Havana. He has also worked as a consular officer at the US Embassies in Guatemala, Panama and Honduras.

Taylor’s long list of domestic assignments have included: Director of the Orientation Division at the Foreign Service Institute, Special Assistant in the Office of Visa Services in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, Deputy Examiner, Board of Foreign Service Examinations, Bureau of Human Resources, Deputy Director for East Asian and Pacific Assignments in the Bureau of Human Resources, Deputy Policy Officer for Latin America at the former United States Information Agency and Deputy Director of Press and Public Affairs in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.

Taylor holds a B.S. from FAMU and is a life member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.

FAMU looks to renovate track complex

Before being dismissed by FAMU AD Bill Hayes last month, track coaches Rey Robinson and Maicel Malone managed to attract some top-caliber recruits despite the extensive wear and tear on the Pete Griffin Track Complex.

FAMU’s Office of Facilities & Construction estimates that the track complex needs a minimum of $235,000 in repairs. It will cost $160,000 to repair the field and $75,000 to fix the track surface.

A completely new surface would run $600,000.

There are also plans to improve the facility’s lighting, which will require $400,000. Renovations to the offices, concession stands, locker rooms, and storage areas carry a price tag of $1,200,000.

You might also be interested in: FAMU track recruit looks to FSU

Another state champ track recruit looks to leave FAMU

FAMU football picking up additional talent

The FAMU Football team has continued to benefit from several off-season transfers the latest of which is Padric Scott who will enroll in FAMU after spending last season at Stanford. Scott played his high school football Lincoln High School in Tallahassee and is the son of Edward Scott, DDS.

"It's been real good, being back home, being with the home crowd, home friends, old friends, people I've grown up with. Everybody is happy to be back with family and friends and that's what is important," said Patric Scott.

Scott is 6'1, 285 lbs. and plays defensive tackle.

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FAMU also picked up former FAMU High football player Willie Ferrell who had signed a letter-of-intent this past winter to play for the University of Mississippi. Ferrell failed to qualify academically (Prop 48), and has since enrolled at the University and intends to play for the football team.

Ferrell will have to sit out one year before playing for the Rattlers because he had broken his contract with Ole Miss.

Originally, Ferrell had committed to Louisiana State, but when signing day came in February, Ferrell sided with the Rebels.

Ferrell was a first-team selection to the Tallahassee Democrat All-Big Bend team as a junior and senior. During his senior year he finished with 174 tackles.

Keeping up with: Andrew Collins

Where are they now?: Since leaving the SGA Presidency, armed with an MBA, in May, Andrew Collins has landed a internship at the White House.

Photo (1): No one, repeat no one, has ever accused Mr. Collins of not being hungry, or ambitious. Here he's seen hamming it up at the annual White House Picnic with a plate of Bar-B-Q. Photo (2): Mr. Collins and Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade. Photo (3) Collins and famed skate boarder Tony Hawk.

Phoenix dethrones FAMU as #1 producer of black baccalaureate graduates

Diverse Issues in Higher Education reports that the University of Phoenix has surpassed FAMU as the top producer of blacks with baccalaureate degrees. FAMU had held the top spot for 12 years.

The publication did not provide a numerical breakdown of degrees awarded, but simply noted that Phoenix Online's Class of 2008 out-produced FAMU. However, last year’s numbers already made it clear that FAMU was in danger of losing its crown.

For the Class of 2007, FAMU came in first by graduating 1256 blacks with baccalaureates. North Carolina A&T University was second with 1239. Although Phoenix Online came in third with 1220, it experienced the sharpest increase by awarding 69 percent more than the previous year.

Phoenix’s victory is another indicator that FAMU must catch up in providing distance education programs to nontraditional students.

You might also be interested in: FAMU could lose coveted title by 2011

Online colleges nipping at FAMU’s heels

Michael Joseph Jackson, 1958-2009

The King of Pop passed away today at age 50 after reportedly suffering cardiac arrest.

Michael Joseph Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana in 1958. He began his musical career at the age five performing with siblings in the musical group the Jackson 5.

In the early 1980s, he defined the art form of music video with such ground-breaking videos as "Billie Jean," "Beat It" and the epic "Thriller." Jackson's sound, style and dance moves inspired subsequent generations of pop, soul, R&B and hip-hop artists.

During his extraordinary career, he sold an estimated 750 million records worldwide, released 13 No. 1 singles and became one of a handful of artists to be inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized Jackson as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time and "Thriller" as the Biggest Selling Album of All Time. Jackson won 13 Grammy Awards and received the American Music Award's Artist of the Century Award.

In 1994 Michael married Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of rock legend Elvis Presley. The marriage lasted 19 months. In 1996, Michael married Debbie Rowe with whom he had two children, Prince Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. and Paris Michael Katherine Jackson. Subsequently Jackson produced a third child Prince Michael Jackson II also known as "Blanket.”

FAMU prepares for enrollment bump

FAMU President James Ammons is all smiles about the latest data on the university’s incoming freshmen class.

First Time in College (FTIC) applications are up from 5,829 in Fall 2008 to 6,199 as of this summer. The university admitted 3,519 FTIC students last fall and enrolled 1,820. It has already admitted more than 3,600 for 2009-2010.

The Division of Student Affairs also reports that transfer applications and admissions are up, as well.

With FAMU’s student numbers growing, on-campus housing is in heavy demand. The housing department anticipates that it will have 90 percent occupancy next year.

Obama stimulus props up FAMU's budget

At yesterday’s FAMU Board of Trustees Budget and Finance Committee meeting, Chief Financial Officer Teresa Hardee rolled out a budget reduction plan that had both good news and bad news.

The good news: FAMU will not close any academic programs.

The bad news: There will be layoffs.

While specifics are not yet finalized, FAMU will leave a large number of open positions unfilled. Among the group of filled positions that will be affected, most will be vacated as a result of attrition (retirement). The remaining minority will be laid off.

Fortunately, the stimulus funds that U.S. President Barack Obama pushed through Congress will provide some relief.

The faculty salary budget is being cut by $3,854,010, but will get back $2,366,657 through stimulus funds. Net loss: $1,487,353.

The administrative and professional salary budget will lose $1,826,954 but will get back $970,936 from stimulus funds. Net loss: $856,018.

The university support personnel staff salary budget will lose $2,027,983 but will get back $1,391,480 from stimulus funds. Net loss: $636,503.

FAMU took a $16,246,516 hit in recurring appropriations during the 2009 legislative session. That comes on top of a $16,773,772 cut last year.

During the 2008-2009 year, FAMU absorbed the budget crunch by paring back spending at numerous administrative divisions and colleges. The steepest cuts were at Enterprise Information and Technology ($4,210,915), the Division of Academic Affairs ($3,948,139), and the University Reserve ($3,743,345).

The university president’s office also took a $293,798 cut last year.

As another cost-saving measure, the administration plans to combine summer sessions "A" and "C" into one.

FAMU pools cost $4.1M to repair

FAMU’s swimming and diving teams have a big problem: the Rattler Aquatic Center is in disrepair. For more than two years, the athletes have practiced at off-campus locations owned by Florida State University and the City of Tallahassee.

At April’s Board of Trustees Facilities and Planning Committee meeting, FAMU Director of Facilities Sam Houston presented pool repair bill estimates.

The Olympic Pool can be renovated at a cost of $1.5M. The Gaither Gymnasium Teaching Pool needs to be completely reconstructed. A new pool will run $2.6M.

President James Ammons told trustees that he plans to use Public Education Capital Outlay dollars to rebuild the Teaching Pool. As part of the Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, it qualifies for PECO funds appropriated for the Gore Educational Complex’s remodeling. He is also talking to students about using Capital Improvement Trust Fund money to fix the Olympic Pool.

During an appearance at a March student senate meeting, Ammons asked student leaders to support plans to build an indoor swimming inside a future phase of FAMU’s recreation center (another CITF project).

Cookman rebels!

The blogger “Cookman Rebel” describes herself as a mother of two who’s worked for Bethune-Cookman University for seven years. She admits that she’s usually passive at her workplace, doing what she’s told when she’s told.

But lately, she hasn’t been able to sleep at night because she feels B-CU “is basically being run like a plantation.” That’s led her to speak out.

On her Ning social networking website, Cookman Rebel, she and a growing group of B-CU supporters pull no punches. They accuse President Trudie Kibbe Reed of hiring incompetent administrators, unfairly dismissing employees who stand up to her, trying to dismantle the School of Social Sciences, and endangering the entire university’s accreditation.

The blog posts identify Vice-President of Academic Affairs Castell Bryant (FAMU’s former interim president), as Reed’s top “hatchet woman.” Cookman Rebel calls her “a very nasty old lady who abuses her power, uses individuals, and destroys the careers of those who stand in her way.”

The site encourages all the registered members to share every detail they can about any wrongdoing committed by the administration.

Cookman Rebel says that next: “We plan to contact the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools, American Association of University Professors, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, The University Senate of the United Methodist Church, US & FL Departments of Education, National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, various media outlets, and any other options available to save the University.”

Check out the site here.

Happy Fathers' Day!

Bowen elected to lead FSBA

Georgia “Joy” Bowen, a FAMU alumna, is the new president of the Florida School Board Association.

“I thought, oh my gosh, what an awesome responsibility. And how very fortunate I am to find my colleagues and my peers in the covered state of Florida to think enough of me and my skills that they would want to have me serve as President of the Florida School Board Association,” Bowen told WCTV-6.

Bowen, a native of Marianna, received her associate of arts degree from Jackson Junior College in 1964 then went on to earn two degrees from FAMU: a bachelor of science in sociology and a master of education.

Her educational leadership career began in 1970 when she became dean of women at Morris College in Sumter, South Carolina. After served in that position for three years, she returned to Florida to accept a position as the coordinator of student activities and organizations at Florida State University. From there, she received numerous promotions. She retired in 2006 as executive assistant to the vice president for student affairs.

In 1998, Bowen was elected to her first term as a member of the Leon County School Board in Tallahassee, Florida. She currently chairs that body.

The FSBA’s mission is “to support and assist school boards in shaping and improving student achievement in Florida by impacting legislation and providing proactive leadership and training through a network of services and information.”

DRS unveils new 3-year plan

FAMU-DRS Superintendent Ronald Holmes has developed a three-year plan to improve the school’s academic performance.

The Florida Department of Education gave DRS a "D" grade for 2008-2009. That's down from a "C" grade last year.

“We will employ appropriate personnel and develop interventions to improve significantly our academic performance,” Holmes said.

One of Holmes’ interventions is to establish a Special Education Program, which has been approved for the 2009 fall semester.

Other goals in the three-year plan include the following: improve the curriculum by providing a rigorous curriculum with focus on science, mathematics, technology and foreign languages; establish a comprehensive reading program; expand dual enrollment at the university beginning at the freshman level; offer test-taking skills program through Kaplan Testing Service; and offer honors AP and IB courses utilizing highly qualified teachers.

FAMU recently began advertising 21 positions available at DRS. The available positions include 11 university school assistant professors and 10 university school instructors.

According to Holmes, this step expedites the process to secure more “regular” contracts for DRS faculty, which could lead to permanent contracts. Based on the current collective bargaining agreement, visiting teachers do not earn credit toward permanent status whereas regular teachers earn such credit. At the completion of three years in a credit earning status, teachers may be granted permanent contracts.

Pa. tuition relief plan offers potential model for Sunshine State

Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell and U.S. President Barack Obama share something in common: both are taking bold steps to help more students get baccalaureate degrees.

Rendell wants to supplement Obama’s American Opportunity Tax Credit and Pell Grant increase with another proposal to help low-income families in his state: tuition relief. The governor believes this will expand college access and boost the state’s economy.

As part of his legislative agenda, Rendell unveiled a plan to make college tuition more affordable for every Pennsylvania family earning under $100,000 per year. Rendell says his proposal will help more than 170,000 students. It will also place a college degree within reach of 10,000 students who otherwise would be unable to afford tuition or might leave the state to attend college.

"Many families who saved diligently for their children's education have watched those savings quickly evaporate as a result of the national economic downturn," Rendell said. "That's why it's essential for the General Assembly to approve my plan right away so that students can receive needed relief starting this fall."

Under Rendell’s plan, all incoming students who qualify and seek to attend state-owned universities or community colleges will pay what they can afford in accordance with established financial aid practices. Every family will pay at least $1,000 a year for each child in college.

For families with income under $100,000, students could obtain as much as $7,600 in relief for tuition, fees, room and board. This relief will greatly enhance the affordability of higher education, Rendell explained.

Under the Tuition Relief Act:

-Everyone will pay something, but a student pays only what he or she can afford.

-Many families earning less than $32,000 a year will pay just $1,000 for tuition, fees, room, board and books.

-Every family that qualifies will receive thousands of dollars in tuition relief, and many will save as much as three-quarters of the total bill for tuition, fees, room, board and books.

In addition to providing immediate aid to families, Rendell said his tuition relief plan also would alleviate the crushing debt that makes it hard for many college graduates to get a strong start in their professional life.

"Three out of four students who graduate from our public universities do so with debt averaging nearly $19,000 a student," the Rendell said.

FAMU’s students graduate with an average of almost $30,000 in debt. This problem is closely linked to the low-income background of FAMU’s student body. Most students come from families that only make about $30,000 annually.

Rendell has run into a problem similar to what Florida faces: a legislature that refuses to find adequate tax revenue for public higher education.

The Pennsylvania governor calls his General Assembly: “tax averse. That's one of the biggest problems we have in the state. It's one of the biggest problems we have in the country.”

FAMU students surveyed about their online sexual behavior

Students at FAMU, the University of Florida, and the University of South Florida are being asked to talk about a very sensitive subject this summer: their online sexual behavior.

Eric Buhi, a health education professor at USF, is researching the relationship between sexual activity initiated through online connections and HIV/AIDS among college students. His study is called: “Seeking out sex online: A novel 3-campus research study of HIV and other sexual health risks among young people.”

"Little is known about whether cultivating sexual relationships online puts college students at greater risk for STDs and HIV," Buhi told the Gainesville Sun. "College students are an important population on which to focus - they are the heaviest Internet users and early adopters of new technologies."

The study is funded by a $15,000 from the Florida Center for AIDS Research. Surveys were distributed in May and are anonymous. Buhi expects to publish his results in the fall.

According to the recent estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 73 percent of new HIV infections were in men, 53 percent were acquired through homosexual intercourse, and 45 percent were in African Americans. The incidence rate per 100,000 people was seven times higher in blacks and three times higher in Hispanics than in whites. It was highest in people in their 30s, although people younger than 30 accounted for nearly 34 percent of new infections.

Camye Edwards, director of prevention and outreach services for Big Bend Cares, believes one factor behind the rise of HIV/AIDS among young people is the lack of a national educational campaign that is as strong as the earlier one in the ‘80s.

“The way I see it is that it has to be a complete campaign applied again,” she said.

Edwards believes young people are not taking precautions when it comes to sex. Most of the people infected from HIV/AIDS in the Tallahassee area are infected through sexual intercourse.

“The individuals that are infected now were not born at the time of the epidemic,” Edwards said. “When you grow up hearing something or seeing something, then you don’t think it is that dangerous.”

You might also be interested in: Black Church crusade against HIV/AIDS

Miami pastor fights HIV/AIDS

New gym boosts basketball recruitment

Word is spreading that FAMU’s new Teaching Gymnasium and Multipurpose Center has given the university a big edge in the race for the best basketball recruits.

Here’s what the Orangeburg Times and Democrat had to say about the new gym’s impact on the South Carolina State University Bulldogs’ recruiting season:

“There’s been plenty of talk in recruiting circles that FAMU’s new building helped dissuade potential Bulldog men’s basketball recruits from coming to [SCSU]. Despite recent improvements to the locker room, adjacent swimming pool and the installation of a new scoreboard, the 41-year-old Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center sill looks outdated by comparison.”

FAMU’s brand new facility carried a $40 million price tag.

With the capacity of seating approximately 9,639, the gymnasium 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.

The Alumniunit.com site reports that FAMU has recruited the following players for its upcoming season:

Men

1. Diamon Alexander 6'-7 PF
2. Jeremy Lightfoot 6'-8 PF
3. Travis Wallace 6'-6 185 SF

Women

1. Eliza Bryant 6′3, C
2. Crystal Chaney 6′1, PF
3. Simone Durden 5′11, WF

FAMU could lose coveted title by 2011

Since 1995, FAMU has held the distinction of being the top producer of blacks with baccalaureates. But that could change soon.

FAMU’s baccalaureate graduation totals have not yet felt the full impact from the recruiting program’s destruction during the 2004-2005 school year.

The (graduating) Class of 2008 was large because it was recruited by former President Frederick S. Humphries six years ago. The Class of 2009, scheduled to graduate next spring, was recruited by former President Fred Gainous. With the exception of the focus on National Achievement Scholars, Gainous followed Humphries’ example in building enrollment.

But on September 28, 2004, Gainous was fired. He was replaced in January by then-Interim President Castell Bryant, who tore the recruitment program (and just about everything else) to shreds and refused to honor many of the student scholarship offers that Gainous made.

FAMU went from a record enrollment of 13,070 students in Fall 2004 to 12,176 in Fall 2005. The numbers continued to tumble down to 11,913 in Fall 2006 and 11,567 in Fall 2007.

Here's what happened to FAMU's fall semester "first time in college" (FTIC) numbers:

2000: 1,943
2001: 1,916
2002: 1,898
2003: 2,144
2004: 1,997*
2005: 1,459 (Class of 2011)
2006: 1,458 (Class of 2012)

2007: 1,575 (Class of 2013)

Since the Classes of 2011, 2012, and 2013 have far fewer students than the previous ones, FAMU will grant far fewer baccalaureates to them.

The University of Phoenix-Online is a top contender to snatch FAMU’s crown as the top producer of blacks with baccalaureates. It awarded 69 percent more baccalaureates to blacks last year than it did in 2007. That number is likely to climb much higher in the future. Online programs have become increasingly attractive to nontraditional black students who are looking to complete college.

North Carolina A&T University shouldn’t be counted out, either. Its former Chancellor James C. Renick, was a very strong recruiter who boosted enrollment every year he was in office.

While A&T’s overall headcount was still much smaller than FAMU’s during this period, the university has a good graduation rate and offers many online/distance education degrees. Last year, FAMU only beat A&T by 17 baccalaureate degrees.

There’s still time for FAMU to fix this problem and hold on to its title. It can do so by:

-Launching more online degree programs. This will make more classes available, especially for seniors who need certain courses to graduate. It will also bring more nontraditional students to FAMU.

-Increasing enrollment of community college transfers. These students graduate in two years. For example: If FAMU brings in a much higher number of AA degree recipients in Fall 2009, they will graduate with the Class of 2011 and boost the overall baccalaureate degree completion number.

-Reducing tuition and fees for upper division students. This will permit juniors and seniors to take larger course loads and speed up their progress toward graduation.

Sources: FAMU Fact Books, NC A&T Fact Books, Diverse Issues in Higher Education.

*The 2004 FTIC numbers are still being verified by FAMU's Office of Institutional Research. This figure was reported by the Florida Department of Education.

Have you read?: Online colleges nipping at FAMU's heels

Jazz duo going strong after 40 years

As Dwight Bosman puts it, he and his brother Dwayne have been gigging since they were 14. Their love of music — specifically the jazz they have been playing for more than 40 years — came from their father, the late Lloyd Smith, a former sideman with Count Basie and Duke Ellington.

In the 1960s, St. Louis and East St. Louis were filled with jazz clubs. The Bosman brothers would take in as many performances as they could, often sitting in for a session or two.

Dwayne cut his teeth on the flute, Dwight the clarinet. But they are both best known as saxophone players.

After graduating from Florida A&M University, they landed a long-term gig at Busch Gardens in Tampa, with a group called The Desert Suns.

By 1981, they were back in St. Louis with their own group. Their engagement at the Moose Lounge lasted more than 15 years. They have toured extensively, including a European trip with Fontella Bass of "Rescue Me" fame.

But just as important for the twins is their work in youth music education. Dwight is band director at Central Visual Performing Arts School, and the brothers helped develop the Symphony Music School at the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club.

Their sound is jazz but rooted in blues and gospel.

"We don’t think of ourselves as just musicians. We’re jazz artists. We paint a portrait each time," Dwight says. "We do different styles of music, and our influences transcend through the music. But there is a fine line between satisfying the audience and ourselves."

Continue reading here at the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

Prostate cancer screening critical for black men

With Father's Day approaching, it’s impotant to give your dad and granddad reminders about the importance of regular prostate cancer screening, which detects the disease in its early-stages and often results in excellent cure rates.

Black men have the highest rate of prostate cancer in the United States. They are 1.6 times more likely than whites to be diagnosed with prostate cancer and are 2.4 times more likely than whites to die from the disease.

According to the National Prostate Cancer Coalition, nearly 100 percent of men diagnosed with prostate cancer are still alive in 5 years.

If cancer is diagnosed, patients and their families should consult a urologist and a radiation oncologist to discuss all suitable treatment options. Survival rates for both surgical and radiation therapies are similar, but side-effects differ among the many treatment alternatives.

A 2000 Roper Starch survey showed that black men are significantly more likely than white men to experience side effects from prostate cancer treatment, including incontinence. They are also more likely than white men to be dissatisfied with their doctor's support.

A study published recently in CANCER, the journal of the American Cancer Society, concluded that prostate cancer patients are not getting the necessary information from their doctors to make an educated treatment decision.

Professor discovers new species of Mayfly

R. Wills Flowers, Ph.D., a Florida A&M University (FAMU) professor and Fulbright Scholar, recently traveled to Ecuador to do field research when he came across a “beautiful” group of mayflies.

After checking the species’ characteristics against others in FAMU’s research collection, Flowers discovered that he had uncovered a new species of mayfly, Thraulodes quevedoensis, in Quevedo, Ecuador.

Mayflies belong to a group that is intolerant of pollution, yet this new species was found in a polluted stream. According to Flowers, mayflies and other aquatic insects are used as indicators of water quality, a method called biomonitoring. The more sensitive organisms – principally mayflies, stoneflies and caddisflies – present in a sample, the better the water quality.

Florida is a world leader in biomonitoring and according to Flowers, the William L. Peters Museum Collection of Aquatic Insects, housed in the FAMU College of Engineering Sciences, Technology and Agriculture, is the largest collection of mayfly research in the world.

Meek, Crist hold early leads

Congressman Kendrick Meek leads the field in the 2010 Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Mel Martinez, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released earlier this week.

He has 18 percent, followed by two other members of Florida's congressional delegation: Corrine Brown (12 percent) and Ron Klein (8 percent). But 57 percent of voters say they don't yet have a candidate in the race, according to the independent Quinnipiac University survey.

While Meek is slightly ahead, 80 percent of voters statewide, including 74 percent of Democrats, don't know enough about him to form an opinion. Brown and Klein do no better.

"None of the Democratic contenders are well-known outside of their own areas," said Peter Brown, assistant director of Quinnipiac's Polling Institute. "And this race remains wide open. If Congresswoman Brown, who has just recently said she is considering the race, does get into it, that might benefit Klein, since both Brown and Meek are African-American and would likely split that key Democratic constituency."

Gov. Charlie Crist swamps former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio 54 - 23 percent in the race for the Republican nomination.

U.S. President Barack Obama remains very popular in the state of Florida with a 58 - 35 percent job approval rating. That compares to the less than 52 percent he received in Florida last November.

Obama's job approval rating, however, trails that of Crist, whose strength across the political spectrum would make him formidable in a general election for the U.S. Senate. Crist has a 62 - 28 percent job approval rating overall, including a 59 - 30 percent thumbs-up from Democrats.

FAMU’s future pharmacy building in Crestview has rich legacy

At 40,000-square-foot and two-stories, the historic Alatex building stands prominently at the heart of Crestview, Fla. Now, it’s well on its way to bearing FAMU’s seal.

One year ago, state Sen. Durell Peaden (R-Crestview) secured $2.5 million for FAMU to establish an extension campus of its College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in the Northwest Florida town. The city council voted to transfer the Alatex facility to FAMU in order to house the program.

Peaden is smiling big after receiving some good news from FAMU officials this month.

“I understand the environmental survey was done and everything was OK,” he said. “The (FAMU) lawyers called me about the title and insurance and all those things needed to do the transfer. When they get that done, they can start work. They’re on the move and ready to go.”

The survey’s positive outcome means that the former factory does not have any structural or health hazards that need to be fixed before FAMU signs the ownership papers.

The brick building was constructed in 1937. At first, it was home to the Smith-Johnson garment company and the local City Hall. Smith-Johnson left after a couple of years and was replaced by the Alatex Textile Company, which remained until the 1980s. Then, Rainbow Apparel moved in and ran the facility until the mid-1990s.

Peaden believes that with FAMU in charge, the Alatex building’s best days are ahead of it.

“I think it’ll be a vital part of downtown Crestview,” he said. “In all my time in Crestview, I’ve never seen the community come together to support something so strongly.”

Last year, an online poll in the Crestview Bulletin newspaper showed that 91 percent of Crestview residents favored the council’s decision to transfer the Alatex building to FAMU. 71 percent were strongly in favor. Only 1 percent were against.

You may also be interested in: Crestview votes to donate building to FAMU

Kennedy-Lamar returns to ASU

It’s official. Danielle Kennedy-Lamar is gone.

Kennedy-Lamar, who was appointed FAMU’s associate vice president for student affairs-enrollment management in 2006, returns to Alabama State University as its new vice president of marketing and communications. Before coming to FAMU, she served as ASU’s director of admissions and recruitment from 1999 to 2006.

Back in 2006, Kennedy-Lamar joined former Vice-President of Student Affairs Vincent June and former Interim President Castell Bryant in trying to spin the real reasons for FAMU’s enrollment decline.

When Bryant arrived in 2005, she destroyed FAMU’s recruitment program and sent enrollment into a nosedive.

Kennedy-Lamar wanted the public to believe FAMU had fewer students because Castell did not let students with outstanding monetary balances enroll for class.

"The primary reason for the decrease, in my opinion, was the university's strong but necessary stance on students with prior debt," Kennedy-Lamar told The FAMUan.

The interim administration said that 1,000 students were affected by the decision. However, FAMU’s own financial data showed that 5,913 students still owed about $13M.

Most of FAMU’s students come from low-income backgrounds. The university typically arranges deferred payment plans to help them through school.

The smoke-and-mirrors used by Kennedy-Lamar, June, and Castell could not hide the fact that the real reason for FAMU’s enrollment decline was the lack of financial support for the recruitment program.

Now that President James Ammons is making FAMU’s Division of Student Affairs work hard to bring in new freshmen and transfers, Kenndey-Lamar doesn’t want to stick around.

AAMU faculty: Beat it Davenport!

Alabama A&M University’s faculty senate has a clear message to the institution’s presidential search committee: candidate Lawrence Davenport does not have what it takes to lead.

Davenport, a former hopeful for FAMU’s presidency, told AAMU’s search committee that he was willing to sign a lifetime contract with AAMU. But shortly after that statement, he took a job as head (principal) of a Rhode Island charter school.

That move sparked anger from many AAMU supporters. One alumnus said: “Where I come from, we call this two-timing. It's a classic player move: Tell one institution what it wants to hear while you're getting what you want from another.”

Last week, news reports confirmed that Davenport resigned his Rhode Island job to “give his full attention to securing the presidency of Alabama A&M University.” However, there are rampant accounts that he was "embattled" after serving only four months and his employers pushed him out.

AAMU faculty senators are now circulating a petition asking that Davenport’s name be stricken from consideration.

“We did not care for Davenport because of the way he handled himself here with the interview and then taking the job in Rhode Island, and so it was sort of an ethical issue for us then,” said Faculty Senate President Barbara Cady.

When Davenport applied for FAMU’s presidency, he was Florida Atlantic University’s executive vice-president for advancement. During the search, he left that job and collected a controversial $577,950 payment.

Currently, the presidential search is in limbo in part because dissenting board members are boycotting meetings. On message boards, some AAMU supporters say an influential trustee is trying to hand the presidency to Davenport while most students, faculty, and alumni want former South Carolina State University President Andrew Hugine.

Hugine made huge gains in enrollment, fundraising, and construction at SCSU. Many SCSU supporters believe he was fired in retaliation for fighting back against micromanaging Board of Trustees members.

Have you read? Former FAMU prez hopeful accused of “two-timing” AAMU

Levitt: Sotomayor is no racist

In yesterday’s Orlando Sentinel, FAMU College of Law Professor Jeremy Levitt sharply denounced the “barrage of racist, sexist and unpatriotic public attacks” against U.S. President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee: Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

From his column “Think Twice”:

What appears to have fueled the far-right backlash is that a Latina judge would dare state that she “would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life.”

What is so controversial about Sotomayor's commentary? Is the mere suggestion that a wise Latina could reach a better conclusion than a white male objectionable? Has anyone asked whether or not Sotomayor may be right in a country that is soon to be a majority-minority? Would it be less controversial if she had said "a wise woman" rather than a "wise Latina"?

If one were to read Sotomayor's entire commentary titled "A Latina Judge's Voice," it is clear that she forwarded the basic premise that the gender, national origin and personal experiences of judges impact their judging. Is this really a novel revelation? Does such an assertion warrant racial attacks against a senior member of the American judiciary? Is this simply Washington politics, or is there a more primordial and insidious rationale?

Limbaugh, Gingrich, Hannity and Liddy's shameful and ignorant attacks on Sotomayor are nothing more than race-baiting, and they exemplify the worst sort of sexism, racism and lack of patriotism we have come to expect from fledging pre-integration ideologists.

Read the full column here.

You might also be interesting in: FAMU prof reflects on meaning of Obama’s victory.

FAMU professor hold's down Chicago talk show

Opinion: Apathy, not bonus, holds FAMU back

The FAMU employees who are outraged that President James Ammons received a $113,750 bonus in the midst of multi-million dollar budget cuts need to take a long look in the mirror and ask themselves:

“What have I done to push the university administration and legislature to develop better revenue creation policies?”

Whether or not Ammons gives back (or defers) the bonus, layoffs will happen because FAMU just took a $13.1M hit in general revenue.

Lots of Rattlers are in a hurry to talk about what someone else is getting paid, but very slow to rally behind realistic, long-term solutions to the university’s budget crisis.

Those who want to talk about employee pay should be asking tough questions about why FAMU administrators and trustees have not considered all the revenue creation options that are being used by other state universities.

Florida State University waived a portion of certain out-of-state students' fees as a way to help them buy more credit hours and add millions to the budget. Why hasn’t FAMU done the same?

The FAMU workers who believe that tuition increases will save them are in for a rude awakening.

Lawmakers continue to use inflated projections that ignore how most FAMU students just take smaller course loads whenever college prices go up.

This year, the legislature has thrown out another bloated, net tuition revenue projection that FAMU has no chance in hell of reaching: $4.4M (for a total of $57.1M). Even if FAMU did exist in a fantasy world where that number was possible, it wouldn’t come close to plugging the budget hole.

Rattlers need to ask another important question: Where were the loud voices from FAMU workers when Florida Senate Minority Al Lawson was struggling to close tax loopholes that would have generated multi-millions for the public higher education budget?

If Ammons turns down the bonus it will be a “feel-good” symbolic gesture to some, but that wouldn’t save most of the FAMU jobs that are about to disappear.

Rattlers need to get real and get active in supporting policies that will actually solve FAMU’s budget woes.

You might also be interested in: SUS budget cut $211M this year

Budget emergency spurs tax talks

OT: An Ongoing Struggle for Civil Rights

In 1964, a few young blacks decided to take a dip in a whites-only pool at a whites-only hotel in St. Augustine, Florida. The hotel's owner, James Brock, reacted by emptying jugs of hydrochloric acid into the water to expel the unwanted swimmers.

This act of civil disobedience was one among many in the small city on the northeast coast of Florida, which in 1964 was celebrating its 400th anniversary. Because of that anniversary, the national spotlight was already on America's oldest settlement, and the leaders of the civil rights movement took advantage of that attention to bring some to their own cause.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. himself tried to eat at the Monson Motor Lodge, and Mr. Brock pleaded with him to take his business elsewhere. And for more than 40 years, James Brock refused to talk with reporters about the acid incident or his encounter with Dr. King.

Jeremy Dean, a young filmmaker who lived in St. Augustine for six years, was the first. In his debut feature-length documentary, Dare Not Walk Alone, Dean interviews James Brock as well as former activists from the era to raise awareness of that pivotal moment in American history. But he also goes a step further: Dean connects the historical fight for equality to the present, proving that while the movement did great things and propelled society forward, the work is far from over. While blacks are free to eat (and swim) wherever they choose in St. Augustine today, the ongoing disparity in wealth and opportunity indicates a broken system, and it's not merely about race.

As one of the film's primary subjects, former activist and current city commissioner of St. Augustine, Errol Jones, puts it: "It's not an African American problem, it's an American problem. And it's not an African American struggle, it's an American struggle. And we have to address it all as Americans."

Dean masterfully weaves the narrative of St. Augustine's troubled past together with the tales of a few individuals, giving a human face to the injustices that still plague not only that city but many, many more American cities to this day.

Dare Not Walk Alone, which took five years to complete, has been shown at 30 film festivals and colleges across the country, and it is available on Netflix.

This story was borrowed from: The Awareness Blog

J-School senior joins ABC “Good Morning America” team

A rising star in FAMU’s School of Journalism and Graphic Communication is officially part of the news industry’s big leagues.

Georgia Dawkins is now part of the production team for ABC’s “Good Morning America” in New York. Her colleagues include household names such as Diane Sawyer, Robin Roberts, Sam Champion, and Chris Cuomo.

The broadcast journalism student impressed ABC last summer as an intern. That led to her current, entry-level job as a desk assistant.

Her FAMU dean, James Hawkins, believes she is destined for a very successful career.

“Georgia ranks among the top 5 percent of the students I have seen in my 30 years of service at Florida A&M University,” Hawkins said. “Her work ethic sets her apart from many of her contemporaries. She is a highly capable and conscientious person who has already shown skills that are well suited for this age of digital journalism.”

The Sebring, Fla. native brings much experience to her position. She worked for her hometown newspaper, the News-Sun, for two years and completed an internship with WESH TV-2. At FAMU she’s served as a religion/news editor for the FAMUan and president of the campus chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists.

Her long-term goal is to become an executive producer for a major news network.

When asked if she planned to transfer to a Big Apple school to finish her degree, Dawkins responded: “Absolutely not. My family, my hometown, my school have invested a lot in my career. I owe it to them to achieve FAMU alumnae status.”

Student turns down Ivy League for FAMU

Covington, Ga. student Toni-Jhay Tucker is excited about her college choice: Florida A&M University. She selected FAMU over Columbia University, an Ivy League institution that also offered her a large financial aid package.

The National Achievement Scholarship semifinalist received $860,790 in offers from a long list of universities that also included: Mississippi State University, Agnes Scott College, Presbyterian College, Macalester University, Washington University in St. Louis, Texas A&M University, Auburn University, and Liberty University.

Tucker’s FAMU scholarship is worth more than $100,000. Her principal, Roderick Sams of Newton High School, applauded her for “demonstrating the academic excellence we expect of our students.”

35 teaching contracts expire at FAMU DRS

Earlier this week, word that 35 FAMU DRS teachers were "laid off" caused panic and anger across Rattler Country.

Yesterday, the FAMU administration offered a clarification. DRS did not eliminate any positions or terminate any teachers. It simply informed 35 "visiting" faculty members that their contracts had expired.

FAMU DRS Superintendent Ronald Holmes plans to issue letters to all 35 men and women by the end of the week, encouraging them to apply for teaching positions in the fall.

“We have asked Dr. Holmes to move quickly to advertise the vacancies that exist,” said Provost Cynthia Hughes Harris. “We must do what is in the best interest of FAMU-DRS while having compassion for the students we serve.”

Holmes sent letters to 35 non-permanent “visiting” teachers Tuesday, reminding them of the expiration of their contracts. According to Holmes, this step expedites the process to secure more “regular” contracts for DRS faculty, which could lead to permanent contracts.

Each member receiving a letter had a visiting contract, which was time limited and most were for ten months. Based on the current collective bargaining agreement, visiting teachers do not earn credit toward permanent status whereas regular teachers earn such credit. At the completion of three years in a credit earning status, teachers may be granted permanent contracts.

“These contracts expired by virtue of their own terms,” Holmes said. “We want our faculty to feel secure in their positions and we are encouraging the visiting faculty members to apply for the vacant positions.” Holmes said that he plans to advertise and have these positions filled.

“We are going to hire regular faculty to prepare our students to perform competitively,” said Holmes. “We seek to balance our faculty with more regular contracts than visiting contracts at least that is our goal. I am looking forward to the 2009-2010 school year where we are expecting enrollment to increase and additional revenue to be generated.”

The school also plans to offer an SAT academy taught by Kaplan Testing Service at no cost to FAMU-DRS students. In addition, the school will offer advance placement courses for all secondary students in all core areas and credit retrieval/recovery courses online.

B-CU lays off 30; keeps Castell

Bethune-Cookman University considers the woman who nearly wrecked FAMU’s accreditation to be a valuable part of its leadership team.

Administrators recently announced their decision to axe 30 employees, 4.7 percent of the total workforce. Interim Vice-President for Academic Affairs Castell Bryant is not on the pink slip list.

Bryant came to B-CU with distinguished experience in attracting bad audits, wasting money, failing to pay employees on time, and blocking recruitment efforts. Currently, Cookman is experiencing an enrollment decline.

B-CU leaders continue to seek Castell’s advice on “eliminating inefficiencies.”

To protect administrators like Castell, B-CU has implemented other cost-saving measures that include: freezing hiring and salary increases for faculty and staff, ensuring that all full-time professors are teaching full course loads, conserving energy, and cutting operating budgets across departments.

FAMU might face program cuts

FAMU President James Ammons will soon unveil a new long-term budget reduction plan to absorb recent general revenue cuts from the legislature. While the administration has given few clues as to what’s on the chopping block, program eliminations seem inevitable.

Across the State University System, degree concentrations are disappearing:

-UF is shutting down educational psychology, instructional scuba, rehabilitation counseling, and documentary film.

-FIU plans to close its entire religion department and 16 other degree programs that include recreation, sports management, and athletic training.

-FSU might cut anthropology, oceanography, behavioral psychology, molecular biophysics, geological sciences, software engineering, and others.

Across the board: universities are targeting programs that have small enrollment and do not attract major research grants. Many of the cuts are also in colleges of education.

Based on this pattern, FAMU might discontinue some of its specialized education majors. For example, instead of offering biology education, FAMU could require students who want to teach this K-12 field to earn a traditional biology degree.

Here’s a sampling of majors that could be vulnerable to elimination, based on fall 2007 enrollment. They are all undergraduate degree programs that had fewer than five students and were not “pre-majors.”

Instrumental music: 1
Choral music: 2
Theatre education: 4
French: 2
Biology education: 3
Chemistry education: 2
Physics education: 1
Management: 1
Marketing: 1
Agricultural education: 2

Source: FAMU Fact Book, 2007-2008, Office of Institutional Research.

FAMU Foundation fares better than many

Few universities have had good news to report about their foundations this fiscal year. Harvard’s took a 22 percent hit and Spelman’s dropped by 20 percent.

By comparison, the FAMU Foundation’s total loss was small. According to data published in March, it slid by about $5M, or 4.2 percent.

The decline comes after a period of rapid growth. In 2006, the endowment's principal expanded by $10M. The following year, it went up $15M.

The FAMU Foundation's ability to weather today's recession is a credit to the strong leadership it has received from chairs such as Col. Brodes Hartley, attorney Daryl Parks, Judge Joseph Hatchett and physician Joseph Webster over recent years.

FAMU Foundation Net Assets

2005: $94M
2006: $104M
2007: $119M
2008: $114M

Source: FAMU IPEDS Reports.

FAMU stands to lose big as White House denies grant renewal

U.S. President Barack Obama has denied requests to renew a two-year federal grant to historically black colleges and universities. FAMU is slated to lose the biggest dollar amount.

The College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA) provides $170M over two years to help HBCUs with their “academic resources, management capabilities, and physical plants.” Congress allocated half, $85M, in 2008.

Obama’s budget calls for HBCUs to receive the entire second half of the money in 2009 but lets the program expire after that, as originally planned. That comes as disappointing news to the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education and the United Negro College Fund, which both lobbied the president to renew the funding in 2010.

In 2008, FAMU netted the largest HBCU CCRAA grant: $2,002,165.

FAMU is using the money in three areas:

-Enterprise Resource Technology: Upgrading and modernizing networking services and computing equipment in four major student-learning environments on the main campus.

-Library Multimedia: Acquiring books, periodicals, licenses, and other electronic programs to meet required internal and external mandates for library holdings.

-Instructional Technology: Creating an infrastructure to build and train faculty to use 40 “smart classrooms” as well as providing other specialized scientific and laboratory equipment designed to increase FAMU’s capacity in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) areas.

White House spokespersons defended the president’s decision to let the grants expire, saying that HBCUs will receive a bump in recurring baseline federal funds and benefit from increases in need-based student aid. They added that HBCU leaders understood that the CCRAA money was temporary.

Proponents of extending the grant counter that no educational budget line item, even the hugely popular Pell Grant, is automatically guaranteed funding from year-to-year. Congress and the president have the power to reduce, eliminate, or extend any grant they chose. It all comes down to a matter of priorities.

For another view on this issue, check out Blogger Kim Lampkins' commentary.