FAMU law reaches Destination Accreditation

Once again the Rattler spirit has prevailed over misleading headlines, vicious internet rumor-mongering, and the damage inflicted by FAMU’s previous interim administration.

Yesterday, the American Bar Association’s Council on Legal Education Opportunity granted full accreditation to FAMU’s law school. With the decision, the ABA confirmed that the FAMU College of Law meets the same federally-mandated quality standards as the ones at UF, FSU, and the University Miami.

FAMU law has weathered more political attacks and slanted media reports than any other in Florida’s history.

The law school was founded in 1949 on FAMU’s main campus in Tallahassee. After graduating 57 lawyers, it was closed by the Florida Legislature in 1968. Lawmakers then sent FAMU law’s library collection to a newly created law school at the majority-white Florida State University.

For the next three decades, Rattlers fought the reverse that wrong. However, the Board of Regents stood in the way and blocked the law school’s reestablishment.

Leaders such as former President Frederick S. Humphries and then-State Rep. Al Lawson finally succeeded in going above the BOR’s head and persuading the legislature to restore the law school in 2000. The deal was intertwined with the politics of the state’s decision to build a medical school at FSU and a College of Law at FIU.

The reestablished FAMU College of Law opened its doors in 2002 and is now housed in a state-of-the-art facility at 201 Beggs Avenue in downtown Orlando’s Parramore neighborhood.

Despite its optimistic start, the new law school fell to a low point under former Interim President Castell Bryant. The Bryant administration withheld $5 million from the school’s budget and permitted it to slide into instability. Faculty also faced difficulty getting paid as a result of the Castell-inflicted payroll system meltdown.

In 2007, newly-installed President James Ammons made the law school a top academic priority and immediately began repairing the damage Castell left behind. During his first months in office, he quickly restored the money that she had kept from the school.

Through offering top-dollar for talent, Ammons lured LeRoy Pernell, who had served as Northern Illinois University’s College of Law dean for 10 years, to head FAMU’s law school. Pernell, in turn, assembled a high-caliber administrative and faculty team of his own.

With the influx of state money, FAMU’s law professors were able to beef up their bar exam prep courses. Soon, students began performing better on the test.

Despite misleading news coverage, the ABA did its job to look at the facts about FAMU’s bar passage rates. The truth is that the overwhelming majority of FAMU law students pass the test. According to Pernell, the school’s overall passage rate is about 80 percent.

FAMU law now has a long list of impressive academic accomplishments. It is ranked as the #1 most diverse law school in America, has a program that pipelines its graduates into employment positions at the prestigious Akerman Senterfitt law firm, and houses an innovative Center for International Law and Justice.

ABA ruling to come soon

The FAMU College of Law’s bid for full accreditation is now in the hands of the American Bar Association’s Council on Legal Education Opportunity. The council has the options of granting FAMU’s request, denying it, or extending the current provisional accreditation.

According to the ABA Journal, a decision approving full accreditation for FAMU law “is expected.”

A ruling could be announced as early as today. FAMU administrators have made preparations for a press conference at the Orlando law school.

ABA reviewers have expressed high praises for the leadership of President James Ammons. They complimented him for restoring $5 million that the previous interim administration withheld from the school and hiring a strong dean who has improved faculty and student morale.

Under Dean LeRoy Pernell, FAMU law has achieved an overall bar passage rate of about 80 percent.

Pharmacy grad receives national award

Michael Bandy of Winter Haven, a 2009 Florida A&M University (FAMU) College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences graduate, has been selected as a recipient of the 2009 Pharmacy (RX) Portfolio National Achievement Award.

According to RX Insider, winners are carefully selected by a RXportfolio Selection Committee and Bandy was selected based on his exceptional RXportfolio submission as well as his outstanding achievements.

As an award recipient, Bandy will be honored by receiving extensive recognition and exposure with pharmacy industry professionals as well as national recognition on the RXportfolios Web site.

Bandy was selected to receive this award out of more than 9,000 RXportfolio applicants, based on his content, quality of writing and overall achievements professionally displayed within his RXportfolio.

"When I was notified that I was selected as a recipient of the 2009 RXportolios National Achievement Award, I was ecstatic!," Bandy said in a FAMU news release. "I view this as one of my most notable professional accomplishments to be chosen from a pool of some 9,000 candidates nationwide to receive this prestigious award. ... I am very excited to represent FAMU on such an esteemed platform. I will use this recognition to encourage others to be diligent in all that they do throughout their advanced pharmacy practice experiences."

FAMU, USF matchup likely in 2011

FAMU could soon ink a deal to open its 2011 season against the USF Bulls at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium.

“The only thing we haven't done is sign a contract," said Alvin Hollins, FAMU’s assistant athletic director. "Our president is very interested in us opening the (2011) season there, and we're looking at trying to do something down there every other year. ... It's percolating pretty good.”

When FAMU faced off against USF in 2005, the game attracted 43,122 fans. That was the second-largest crowd in USF football’s history.

That year the Rattlers, who scored 3 points to the Bulls’ 37, cut a deal to receive part of the game’s ticket revenues. The two universities have not commented on whether a similar agreement is in the works for the anticipated 2011 matchup.

Student center gets $2.2M remodeling

This fall, FAMU students will discover a brand new look in the Student Services Center. Sodexho, FAMU’s dining services provider, is spending $2.2M to remodel the building.

The newly renovated cafeteria will include a variety of new features, including: a coffee shop/bakery, grainery, international sauté, and vegetarian station.

Popular spots such as the salad bar, pizza/pasta station, and home cooked food section will be back with a fresh feel.

And similar to what’s becoming a standard national trend, the cafeteria will be open all day. This change will provide more convenient hours for students who have scheduling conflicts during the busiest meal times.

The renovations are part of the Ammons adminstration's strategy to improve customer satisfaction and bolster recruitment.

1983: Smith debates T.K. on merger

Back in 1983, President Walter Smith defended FAMU against a merger bill introduced by State Rep. T.K. Wetherell (D-Allandale).

The two men debated the issue at the Tallahassee Tiger Bay Club.

T.K. said race had nothing to do with his bill and used language very similar to those who currently claim that America is a “post-racial” nation.

“I don’t believe it is a racial issue,” T.K. told the crowd. “I believe we are beyond that.”

He said that having FAMU and FSU operating side-by-side “ain’t the most efficient way to run the system in Tallahassee.”

In 2007, T.K. used another “efficiency” argument when he tried to help FSU get 100 percent control of the joint College of Engineering it runs with FAMU. He said FSU would be better at managing the money. T.K. conveniently ignored the fact that FAMU had 24 years of clean financial statement audits until trustees and administrators supported by then-Gov. Jeb Bush wrecked the day-to-day financial operations.

Smith said that the merger was an attack on FAMU’s proud heritage and continuing value.

“It’s necessary to realize that the culture and history of black people are as important as the culture and history of any other people in this state,” Smith told the audience.

He also stated that: “It is foolhardy to toy with the institution in this state that does the best job of producing black leaders and education black boys and girls.”

Smith pointed out that FAMU ranked third in America in preparing blacks for doctorates.

Currently, FAMU tops all American public universities in producing black undergraduates who go on to earn Ph.D.s.

T.K.’s 1983 effort to merge FAMU and FSU fell flat, just like his recent attempts to take over the E-College.

Read the full article here.

Pictured: Students outside Jackson-Davis Hall in the 1980s.

FAMU student chosen to study in Hong Kong

Huan Chen, a doctoral degree candidate in the FAMU Environmental Sciences Institute (ESI), has been selected by an international panel of experts to attend an international course on Bioinformatics and Comparative Genome Analysis in Hong Kong next month.

Bioinformatics applies computer and information technology to manage and analyze organism genomes and other biological data. It is heavily based on computer analyses and programming.

Twenty-four individuals were invited to the course from 138 applicants from around the world. No more than six individuals from one country are allowed to attend. Chen is one of three applicants chosen from the United States.

During the course, Chen hopes to experience a deep immersion in bioinformatics and be able to apply what she learns through the course to her Ph.D. research. Chen’s research focuses on Bdellovibrio (BALOs). Although BALOs are ill-defined, known information about one species of BALO show their potential to produce unique antibiotics and other compounds that could be used to fight bacterial infections in humans.

Chen is also pursuing the use of the BALOs to reduce human pathogens in oysters, a favorite food, to make the shellfish safer for human consumption.

The workshop sponsors cover the attendee’s course tuition and fees, lodging and meals for the two-week course.

A primary objective of the course is to encourage multidisciplinary practices by introducing advanced fundamental problem-solving procedures in bioinformatics; their application in genome analyses; and recent knowledge acquired from genomes studies and perspectives.

The course is aimed for motivated Ph.D. and post-doctoral students and young assistant professors at public institutions particularly, but not exclusively, from Asia, Australia, Africa and South America. Students and faculty must have a background in mathematics, statistics, biology or computing and are involved in bioinformatics and genomes studies.

Chen received the M.S. degree from ESI last fall with a 4.0 GPA and was admitted into the Ph.D. program in January. She has a B.S. degree in computer science from Huazhong Agricultural University in Hubei, China. Chen attributes this background as an asset in her selection to the course as bioinformatics is heavily based in computer analyses and programming. She says that the academic programs have well prepared her for the challenge of the rigorous course.

Rattler wrapping up White House internship

FAMU student Andrea Turk is among the 150 college students chosen, from a pool of 7,500 applicants, for a White House internship in Washington, D.C. this summer. Turks doesn't have to look very far to find a familiar face, as fellow FAMUan Andrew Collins is also a White House intern this summer.

"I can't say exactly what I do, but I can tell you I'm in the Department of Management and Administration in the executive office," Turks told the Gainesville Sun.

Turk, who graduated from Buchholz in 1987, started her undergrad degree at FAMU before taking a 12-year break. She returned to FAMU in 2006 and earned straight A's on her way to a political science degree.

She currently is finishing up a graduate degree in applied social sciences with a concentration in public administration. With less than two weeks worth of course work left to complete, Turk will finish her classes before her internship is over.

She will fly back to FAMU for graduation on Aug. 7 and then fly back to Washington to finish up her internship, which ends Aug. 14. She has not yet made a final decision about what she will do after graduation.

One of Turk's professors at FAMU had nothing but praise for his student.

"Her passion for learning far surpassed that of other college students. It's something she can really appreciate," said Dr. David Jackson, who is not only her mentor/advisor, but was also in the Marching 100 during Turk's early years at FAMU. "I'm encouraging her to look into pursuing her Ph.D. She has the right kind of focus and commitment to get it done."

The Department of Management and Administration, where Turk is interning, is responsible for communications, correspondences, references and security checks for White House employees, as well as those calling, entering and leaving for business or personal reasons.

"This internship is actually what will finish my degree," Turk said.

Read the full article: here

CESTA conducting cutting-edge bio-energy research

During the winter, people want to be warm in their homes. When it is dark, they want to be able to turn on the lights.

Americans have become accustomed to living a certain lifestyle and the bio-energy research being conducted at FAMU’s College of Engineering Sciences, Technology and Agriculture (CESTA) will aid in maintaining that and more.

FAMU’s CESTA has formed the BioEnergy Group to uncover renewable and more sustainable forms of energy, educate young bioengineers and aid limited-resource farmers, which is a major thrust for CESTA.

CESTA Research Associate Jennifer Taylor has put biofuel research into action at a farm in Sopchoppy, Fla.

“The 2006 pilot project equipped innovative farmers and the owners of Crescent Moon Organic Farm with a biodiesel processor and the knowledge and skill to make biodiesel fuel, which they use to power on-farm tractors, backhoes, farm equipment and trucks,” Taylor said.

The BioEnergy Group is also working on other forms of biofuel research that, unlike the more common studies done the in the Midwest, will have no effect on the environment and the economy.

Most biofuel research is conducted in the Midwest and involves corn and soybeans because of federal subsidies that keep prices artificially low. The research being conducted at FAMU is different since corn is not the focus and also the BioEnergy Group is taking a more holistic approach to this issue.

“The overuse of corn as a feedstock for biofuel has caused the price of corn to increase,” said CESTA Professor Oghenekome Onokpise. “Dairy farmers use corn to feed their herd and are paying more for feed, which in turn caused an increase in the price of milk and other related products.”

The FAMU BioEnergy Group is conducting research that will not have adverse effects on the environment or the economy.

“About 97 percent of water resources on earth is not suitable for direct human consumption,” said CESTA Research Associate Clifford Louime. “We are evaluating saltwater crops, technically known as halophytes, as a potential feedstock for biofuels.”

This method will not take away from the already small supply of freshwater, which has a very slight effect on the economy and does not harm the environment.

In addition to the various research projects being conducted, the BioEnergy Group is working to make sure young bioengineers at FAMU will be prepared to address the energy needs of America in the 21st century.

“We are training minority scientists in developing technology to grow crops and understand the process of bio-processing,” said Onokpise. “Bio-energy is the future and we need to make sure that our successors can pick up where we have left off.”

The FAMU BioEnergy Group will also focus on aiding limited-resource farmers through their research. The group is currently studying various crops grown in Florida, and through bio-processing will determine if they can or cannot use them as a source of feedstock for renewable energy.

If a crop proves to be useful, they can share this information with limited-resource farmers as a method to increase profit, as some crops used for biofuel tend to sell at higher prices.

Meek picks up Graham endorsement

FAMU alumnus Kendrick Meek recently picked up a huge endorsement in his bid to become Florida’s junior U.S. Senator.

Bob Graham, a former Democratic governor and U.S. senator, says Meek is the best man to fill the seat he once held on Capitol Hill.

In a press statement, Graham said that Meek “has always put the needs of our state first and during these trying times, it is people of deep substance like Kendrick Meek who will help guide our economy from recession to recovery. Endorsing Kendrick is an honor and I look forward to spending time with him and the Meek family on the campaign trail.”

Meek accepted the endorsement with great words of praise for the role Graham has played in Florida politics.

“Senator Graham is the role model U.S. Senator and throughout my lifetime, I have witnessed firsthand how Senator Graham was able to better the lives of the people he represented,” Meek said.

Graham’s name is the latest to join a long list of political heavyweights who have thrown their support behind the Meek campaign. The congressman also has endorsements from: former President Bill Clinton, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Congressman Ron Klein, Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, Broward County Mayor Stacy Ritter, West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel, Tallahassee Mayor John Marks and Gainesville Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan.

President: Police “acted stupidly” in arresting Gates

Yesterday evening, U.S. President Barack Obama directly addressed the recent arrest of Harvard Professor Henry Louis “Skip” Gates at his Cambridge, Mass. home.

Obama, a Harvard law graduate who considers Gates a friend, said the Cambridge police officers investigating a possible burglary at the professors’ house “acted stupidly” when they arrested Gates after he proved that he was the home’s rightful owner.

“Separate and apart from this incident, there’s a long history in this country of African Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately. That’s just a fact,” Obama said.

The president also referred to his role in helping to craft anti-racial profiling legislation during his days as an Illinois state senator. He told the national audience that the racial profiling problem is “an example of how race remains a factor in this society.”

Alum is indispensible to Albany State’s athletic department

It's summertime, which means Edythe Bradley only works an average of 40 hours a week.

Looking at her desk, covered with stacks of papers and countless tasks to tackle, one would think she worked 80. With not much room for filing, archives surround her, behind the chair and even underneath the desk.

Such is the life of a sports information director at Albany State.

In her 13th year, Bradley - a one-woman show, for the most part - finally has time to do more than breathe now that the hectic athletic school year is behind her. She also has time to reflect.

"She's very important," Albany State football coach Mike White said. "She is very sharp in terms of getting communication out. We depend on her heavily."

Bradley studied public relations at FAMU’s School of Journalism and Graphic Communication.

"I just liked meeting people and gathering an appreciation for layout and graphic design," Bradley said. "That was part of the curriculum, and people always told me I was nice to people in public, so I was like, 'OK, that may be a good major to follow.'”

Now getting ready for her Xth football season, Bradley knows what lies ahead. There will be seemingly endless hours, demands and a mind-boggling array of numbers to compile. Bradley still lives in Camilla, so her job is also taxing in a sense that it keeps her from spending much time with her daughter, Morgan, who was 5 when Bradley first became sports information director.

"Especially during football season, when I have away games and I get back home, I'm tired and don't want to really say anything or talk," Bradley said. "I try to make up for it. She's been very understanding and knows Mommy has to work."

Read the full article here.

Williams bill saves Gadsden County Hospital

During his campaign for the Florida House of Representatives, FAMU alumnus Alan Williams said that saving Gadsden County Hospital would be one of his top priorities. Earlier this summer, he delivered on that promise.

In May Gov. Charlie Crist signed House Bill 873, which Williams sponsored, into law. The legislation extends the deadline for proposed hospitals to complete preparations for an active hospital license from 18 months to three years. The bill also enables rural hospitals, including Gadsden County Hospital, with an inactive license for at least 20 months to receive an additional year to meet licensing requirements.

Williams said that without an extension, Gadsden County Hospital would have lost its license to operate on June 30.

The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration closed the hospital in 2005 for numerous violations. News reports cited a number of problems that included: a long backlog of untreated patients, uncollected garbage on the facility’s grounds, and a shortage of essential medical supplies.

“Gadsden County needs its hospital and the county and community have worked diligently to reopen it, including approving a half-cent sales tax last fall for the purpose of funding the hospital,” Williams said.

Currently, the hospital building only has an outpatient emergency center that it runs with help from Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. Patients must travel 45 minutes to Tallahassee for anything beyond basic ER treatment.

State Senate Minority Leader Al Lawson, who also represents Gadsden County, led the effort to build support for Williams’ bill in his own legislative chamber.

OT: Black Harvard prof’s arrest raises questions about racial profiling

Professor Henry Louis “Skip” Gates, who directs the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute at Harvard University, was arrested at his Cambridge, Mass. home on Thursday, July 16.

The incident began when one of Gates’ white neighbors called local police and reported that two black men were attempting to break into his residence. The two black men were actually Gates and a car company driver who were trying to open a jammed front door lock.

Cambridge police officers later arrived at the scene and questioned Gates. From there, the accounts differ.

The officers allege that Gates was uncooperative, accused them of racism, and made a “your mama” insult against one of the policemen. Gates claims that an officer placed him under arrested after he repeatedly requested that man’s name and badge number.

Gates was charged with “disorderly conduct” and taken to the police station. He is being represented by Charles Ogletree, a black Harvard law professor who served as an influential teacher to now-U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama during their studies at Harvard Law School.

The Boston Globe reports that numerous black students and faculty have complained about racial profiling by campus and city police. Ogletree has helped many such men and women file formal grievances throughout his years at the university.

Read the police report here and Ogletree’s statement on behalf of Gates here.

UPDATE (2:25PM): The AP reports that the Cambridge Police Department has dropped all charges against Professor Gates.

Enrollment plunge hurt FAMU’s classroom usage rate

A recent audit demonstrated yet another lingering effect from FAMU’s enrollment decline between 2005 and 2007.

In April, Florida’s Office of Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) reported that state universities only used their classrooms 56.1 percent of the time from Monday through Friday. The data covered Spring 2008.

FAMU had the lowest classroom utilization rate, which was 40.3 percent. That’s down from 49.5 percent in Spring 2005 when FAMU was actually ahead of UWF, FAU, and FIU.

The biggest reason for FAMU’s lower classroom usage is its lower enrollment. Back in 2005, Interim President Castell Bryant destroyed the university’s recruitment program and sent enrollment into a nosedive. FAMU fell from 13,070 students in Fall 2004 to 11,567 in Fall 2008.

The current student body is smaller than FAMU’s classroom capacity. In 1997, former President Frederick S. Humphries and then-Provost James Ammons announced their goal of expanding FAMU’s student body to at least 15,000 by 2003. After the Board of Regents approved the plan, FAMU based its classroom building construction on that anticipated number.

When Ammons took over as president in 2007, he recommitted FAMU to getting its enrollment up to 15,000, the number it was supposed to reach years ago.

Another factor behind the low classroom utlization rate is the fact that most FAMU students take smaller course loads when college expenses rise. FAMU's median family income is only $30,000 per year. Pell Grants and financial aid have not kept up with tuition and fee hikes.

The OPPAGA report added that FAMU faces certain physical barriers that hurt its classroom utilization rate. The auditors wrote that many of FAMU’s classrooms “are older and can accommodate a maximum of 35 students.” That means larger classes must meet somewhere else.

The auditors actually complimented the Ammons administration for making more cost-effective use of its classrooms by moving “to larger class sizes and using space not coded as classrooms on the inventory to teach larger groups of students.” They also said that FAMU is among the schools that plan to “renovate some of their smaller classrooms to better match the needs for classroom space.”

FAMU, UF survey small farmers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture considers any farm a “small farm” if it has less than $250,000 in annual gross sales, but that definition is too broad to provide a sense of what Florida’s small farms are really like.

So FAMU and UF surveyed small farmers statewide, and about 300 responded. The results shed light on producer demographics and confirm that small farms make important contributions to local economies.

In terms of land, 64 percent of the participants farmed 50 acres or less.

Their motivations varied widely. Many participants—39 percent—reported that farming was moderately important or very important as a primary source of income, and 52 percent relied on farming for supplemental income. Farming was a part-time occupation for 44 percent.

Other popular reasons included maintaining a family tradition, wanting to own a business and enjoying the farming lifestyle.

Altogether, the participants produced 35 items. The most common were beef cattle (produced by 33 percent), horses (17 percent), goats (16 percent), vegetables (14 percent) and flowers or bedding plants (11 percent).

Other enterprises included hay, fruits, herbs, poultry, aquaculture, beekeeping, timber and pine straw. Crop diversity is essential to farm sustainability, and 45 percent of the participants reported producing two or more items.

Challenges facing Florida’s small farmers include marketing their crops at a profit, finding affordable materials and supplies, obtaining reliable information, and complying with state and federal regulations.

To address these issues, regional small farm conferences are held throughout the state. This summer, the first statewide conference will provide small farmers a forum for exchanging ideas and an opportunity to learn about strategies to improve the sustainability of their farms.

Band camp saxophone choir MJJ melody

Summer Institute inspires students

The FAMU Rattler Academic Summer Institute in partnership with Smith-Williams Foundation, Inc. is not your average summer camp.

“The goal of the program is to provide the inspiration for students to seek careers in fields they may have once thought to be unattainable,” said Kirk Gavin director of the Rattler Summer Institute. “We want to expose students to new areas of study and to encourage interest not previously considered.”

The institute, part of the FAMU College Reach Out Program (CROP), utilizes certified teachers to incorporate non-traditional teaching methods to boost students FACT skills and provide character development activities for students in grades six to 10.

Students are given pre- and post-exams to gage the level of improvement and provide feedback on how to improve next year’s program. The students receive tutoring in math, science, reading, language arts and writing.

There is also an apprenticeship component of the program that exposes students to career opportunities such as computer technology; small engine repair; bicycle repair; aviation; the Divas Program; and banking.

Students are currently putting their computer technology skills to the test at Nims Middle School and Bond Elementary School where they are refurbishing computers in the schools’ labs as a part of a community service project.

Students that complete each community service project will each receive a computer themselves.

Soloman Stevens, an 11-year-old sixth grade student at Woodville Elementary, is excited about receiving his laptop at the end of the program, but even more excited about the experience.

“I like helping people and making them feel better,” he said. “We get to learn how to fix computers, and we take fields trips.”

Richard Ash, a 14-year-old eighth grade student at Swift Creek Middle School, agrees with Stevens.

“Learning how the computers work is a lot of fun,” he said. “I also learned about myself and how I can do a lot more than I thought. I’m having a real good time.”

Students in the institute have elected to start a “GranPal” program, where each student will partner with an elderly resident in Tallahassee and serve as a companion.

Brogan appointed chancellor

As expected, the Florida Board of Governors tapped Frank T. Brogan to become the next State University System chancellor during today's meeting.

Brogan, a former lieutenant governor and current FAU president, was unanimously recommended by the search committee and then unanimously supported by the entire board.

“I believe having strong and respected universities is crucial to Florida’s economy,” Brogan said. “We need to prepare the citizens of Florida for competition in the knowledge- and innovation-based economy. I want to work with the Legislature on a plan to prepare our universities to meet this challenge, as our success as the State University System will determine the economic success of our state as a whole. The sooner we move boldly in this direction to strengthen the state university system, the sooner we can take advantage of opportunities that exist due to conditions in other states.”

Brogan will replace UNF’s John Delaney, who stepped in as the BOG’s “president-in-residence” after former Chancellor Mark Rosenberg threw in the towel earlier this year.

Band campers prepare to strut their stuff

Today, more than 400 band campers will showcase the skills and moves they’ve learned from the world-renowned Marching “100.”

At 2 p.m. the Annual Band Camp Parade will take place on FAMU’s campus. The route will begin at Bragg Memorial Stadium traveling south on Wahnish Way; turn right on to Gamble Street; then right on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., and end on “The Set” at the viewing stand.

The grand marshals are: Linard McCloud, director of bands for Burke High School in Charleston, South Carolina; FAMU Trustee Daryl Parks; SGA President Gallop Franklin; and Mr. & Miss FAMU. The special guest will be retired FAMU Band Director William P. Foster.

Each year, FAMU’s band camp attracts hundreds of the nation’s best high school students, who undergo a week of intensive marching drills and musical training. Participants come from places as far away as California, Michigan, the Bahamas and Virgin Islands.

This week’s events culminate with the Super Summer-Fest Finale Performance, scheduled for tomorrow at 10 a.m.

Humphries working hard for FAMU’s STEM programs

As the university’s Regents Professor, former President Frederick S. Humphries continues his goal of making FAMU the nation’s leader in awarding science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees to African Americans.

Known for his success in bringing the best and brightest high schoolers to FAMU, Humphries is still traveling America and recruiting students to FAMU’s STEM B.A., M.S. and Ph.D. programs.

Research is another big part of the former president’s current job duties. He recently completed a five-year study on the production of minority engineers at major institutions in Florida. He also monitors FAMU’s rank in the production of scientists and engineers and reports this information to the Division of Academic Affairs. Humphries plans to publish a paper about HBCUs in the production of black scientists and engineers in an upcoming edition of the Issues of Negro Education Review.

Additionally, FAMU is putting Humphries’ experience as a federal grant-raiser to work. He is the co-principal investigator for FAMU’s I-Cubed program grant from the National Science Foundation which provides money for enhancing the university’s STEM education.

Always passionate about creating new financial aid to help students, Humphries is currently working with the federal government to develop a cost-replacement scholarship program for STEM programs.

FAMU’s eighth president is also highly visible in his role with the College of Law, where his office is located. He assists the law school with fundraising and recruitment.

You might also be interested in: Vanderbilt hires Humphries as visiting professor

FAMU aspires to be national leader in STEM education

Entomology center personnel cut in half

In response to state budget cuts, FAMU is eliminating 50 percent of the staff positions at its Public Health Entomology Research and Education Center (PHEREC) in Panama City.

Currently, 20 men and women work at the center. A number of the affected positions are already unfilled.

"They maintain the laboratories, purchase supplies; they do a lot of things,” said Professor John Smith, who directs the center. “Without that, it's very difficult for us to carry out our research."

The news sparked angry reactions from some of the affected employees.

“I thought it was not very nice,” said Jamie Coughlin, a senior lab technician. “They gave us no indication, in fact they gave us every indication that we weren't going to lose anybody over here, or if we did maybe it would be one person. Then surprise you're all laid off.”

PHEREC studies mosquitoes and develops new insecticides or trapping methods to control the insects.

Some workers worry that the layoffs are a first step toward closing the center.

“It's basically a nail in the coffin for this facility,” said Chemical Technician Cate Brock. “I don't see that it can continue.”

Smith said he’s contacted FAMU’s administration and asked them to reconsider the cuts.

FAMU’s College of Engineering, Science, Technology, and Agriculture had no comment for the press.

You might also be interested in: Prof leads charge to develop WHO center at FAMU

FAMU law nurtures next generation of global leaders

The FAMU College of Law's Center for International Law and Justice (CILJ) concluded its first year of operation by organizing eight coveted international law internships for its students.

“The International Law Internship Program is one our signature programs,” said Jeremy Levitt, CILJ's director.

The International Law Internship Program provides practical work experiences that enable students to gain advanced legal knowledge and skills within an organization, industry or functional area that reflects their academic and professional interests. It also provides law students with firsthand knowledge of the culture, language, politics and law of foreign states and institutions.

CILJ has organized eight highly coveted international law internships this summer in five countries on four continents as part of its International Law Internship Program. This year’s summer international law interns will work at: the Caribbean Court of Justice, Port of Spain, Trinidad; Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights, Washington, D.C.; Supreme Court of Ghana, Accra, Ghana; International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Arusha, Tanzania; and Interpol, Bangkok, Thailand.

“Responding to the needs created by globalization is one of the greatest challenges facing legal education in the 21st century,” said FAMU Law Dean LeRoy Pernell. “The CILJ is our answer to these challenges.”

According to Levitt, FAMU College of Law ranks among the top law schools in the country in organizing international law internships for its students, and likely leads the country in placing women and persons of color. Eight out of nine of this year’s interns were women of color.

“The International Law Internship Program offers students transformative experiences that will enable them to value humanity beyond our borders,” Levitt said.

Athletics outlines repair/construction priorities for football

At a recent Board of Trustees meeting, FAMU outlined its current and future facility upgrade priorities for the football program.

Football’s immediate renovation needs add up to just under half a million dollars. The list is as follows:

1. Grade and sod fields ($175,000)
2. Demolish and rebuild field tower ($40,000)
3. Paint lockers and locker room ($35,000)
4. Repair flooring ($22,000)
5. Repair roof ($107,000)
6. Repair hydrotherapy baths ($40,000)
7. Structural evaluation of stadium ($20,000)

Total: $439,000

The short term priorities for the next two years are:

Team meeting room, 2,600 sq ft ($481,000)
Offense meeting room, 1,000 sq ft ($185,000)
Defense meeting room, 1,000 sq ft ($185,000)
Replace scoreboards w/2 Daktronics ($2.7M)

Total: $3.6M

The five to ten year priorities include: adding an additional 15,000 seats to Bragg Memorial Stadium, renovating the existing field house, installing a new scoreboard, and building sky boxes and press boxes.

The university also aims to construct a new field house that will include: classrooms, offices, academic support, a trophy room, Booster Club spaces, and fitness and training facilities.

Estimated total: $50M

Trailblazing educator remembered for teaching life lessons

From the Gainesville Sun:

Knowing how to stretch cash was a skill Oliver H. Jones, 88, said his father perfected.

His father was A. Quinn Jones Sr., a renowned Gainesville educator.

Jones Sr. earned his baccalaureate from Florida A&M in 1915. President Nathan Young encouraged him to become a teacher and principal. As a Gainesville resident for 75 years, he led Alachua County’s first black high school (Lincoln) from 1923 to 1956.

"During the Depression, my father sent my brother to Florida A&M University for $16 a month, and two years later he started to send me for $18 a month," Jones said. "He did that on his teacher's and principal's salary, so he had to be good with money."

The elder Jones also made certain his sons learned to work with their hands. During a few weeks in the summer, the Jones brothers worked in the tobacco warehouses. Wages were $1 a day for men, 75 cents a day for teenagers and 50 cents a day for boys.

"It was hot, heavy work, and a day wasn't eight hours," Jones said. "It was until the warehouse closed."

Sitting in the living room of his northwest Gainesville home, Jones said the late-model car in his garage and the electronics found around his home were purchased when he and his wife could afford them, not when they wanted them.

It might have appeared that the Jones brothers "were deprived, but we didn't know it."

"We were willing to live within our means and willing to do without, and we were still fairly happy," Jones said. It's a mindset he has continued well into his retirement.

"We waited until we were able to afford a TV and a telephone," Jones said, "and then I could enjoy them without worrying about how to pay for them."

Watch video of Oliver Jones sharing more memories about his life with his family during the Great Depression here.

Alum trombonist's music career soaring

Wynton Marsalis thought he heard something in trombonist Wycliffe Gordon.

And Gordon has proved him right.

Gordon was still in school when Marsalis thrust him into the spotlight. They’d met when Gordon was a sophomore at Florida A&M University and Marsalis came to give a lecture.

“He got there early and came to our jazz band rehearsal,” Gordon recalls. Marsalis liked what he heard from the trombonist and decided to stay in touch.

“He called me for a gig in February 1988. … I was utterly unprepared,” Gordon says. “But I left there with a lot of information. And he called me again about 10 months later for a gig at Blues Alley in Washington, D.C.”

Soon Gordon was recording with the Marsalis band, going on tour and writing for them.

“It was a temporary deal that turned into my career,” he says. “I was there from 1989 to 2000.”

If you didn’t hear the trombonist with Marsalis, there’s still a good chance you’ve heard him. Gordon, 42 and a Georgia native, is heard on National Public Radio every day, literally — and has been since 1995.

Continue reading here.

Brogan applies for chancellorship

Ending more than a week of speculation , FAU President Frank Brogan officially submitted his application for the State University System chancellorship.

“I have been approached by many influential people throughout the state regarding this opportunity,” Brogan said in a letter to FAU supporters. “But only after much reflection and discussion with my family did I decide to pursue the opportunity and convey my intent to the individuals conducting the chancellor search.”

There are currently 11 candidates for the job. The Board of Governors will narrow that number down on Monday and then interview the finalists on July 17. The BOG is expected to make its choice on that day.

Brogan, a former Republican lieutenant governor, is widely expected to run for the governorship in the near future. By becoming chancellor, he’ll receive regular coverage from statewide newspapers and have an excuse to travel across Florida shaking hands on the taxpayers’ dime.

FAMU remains #1 not-for-profit producer of black baccalaureate recipients

FAMU is still the #1 producer of black baccalaureate degree recipients among universities that share its business model.

This year, the for-profit University of Phoenix took the top overall spot in awarding bachelor’s degrees to African Americans. As reported by the Tallahassee Democrat’s Angeline Taylor, Phoenix graduated 1,780 to FAMU’s 1,330.

FAMU’s performance was still the best among the not-for-profit colleges and universities.

The big differences between the for-profit and not-for-profit business models became clear from a comparison of revenue sources, admissions policies, and graduation rates.

Phoenix does not receive any state appropriations or federal research grants. Almost all of its money comes from student tuition payments. That means the university must maintain high enrollment numbers.

As a result, Phoenix is basically an open-enrollment school. It also has a 16 percent six-year graduation rate.

FAMU is very different. Since it receives state enrollment funding and federal research grants, it can afford to be more selective in admissions. FAMU also makes it a priority to graduate a much larger percentage of its students within six-years.

FAMU requires a SAT-1 score of 1450 or ACT score of 21 for freshmen. Students who do not meet those standards have the option of beginning in the School of General Studies where they can earn an associate’s degree and then transfer to the upper division. The university's six year graduation rate is 41 percent.

Despite the contrasting business/academic models, FAMU can learn some important lessons from for-profit schools such as Phoenix. There are many blacks who want to finish college or earn a graduate degree but cannot due to time and money constraints. FAMU needs to build more online programs to reach this group.

For example, the University of South Florida’s College of Education offers online M.A., M.Ed., and Ed.S. degrees. These programs are popular among teachers who want to further their education while continuing to work fulltime.

Creating a large online education program could boost FAMU’s revenue and help it award even more degrees to nontraditional students.

Have you read? Phoenix dethrones FAMU as #1 producer of black baccalaureate graduates

FAMU could lose coveted title by 2011

Online colleges nipping at FAMU’s heels

Post College Hill: Kyle keeps the drama going

Attention starved Kyle Washington is apparently trying to extend his 15 minutes of fame beyond BET's College Hill by acting a fool at a Tallahassee Winn-Dixie recently.

FAMU’s six-year grad rate slightly up

After dipping down to its lowest point in 13 years, FAMU’s six-year graduation took a slight bounce upward in 2008-2009.

According to FAMU’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) report, 41 percent of the Class of 2008 (which entered in 2002) completed baccalaureate degrees this year.

That’s up from a 39 percent six-year graduation rate for the Class of 2007. That figure was the lowest since 1995, when 39.4 percent finished undergraduate degrees in six-years. Among Florida’s public universities, only FAU (38 percent) and FGCU (35 percent) had lower rates that year. The national average for the Class of 2007 was 53 percent.

FAMU President James Ammons points to rising college costs as the number one factor that hurts the FAMU’s graduation rate.

FAMU's median family income is only $30,000 per year. When tuition and fees rise, FAMU students 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."

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, FAMU's decision to implement a 7 percent differential option on top of the 8 percent tuition bump approved by the Florida Legislature could have an unintended negative impact on future graduation rates. The new tuition increases threaten to eat up the new financial aid provided by U.S. President Barack Obama's American Opportunity Tax Credit.

The maximum Pell Grant award increased from $3,000 in 1998 to $4,310 in 2007. But still, the new financial aid did not stop FAMU’s lower division credit hour loads from dropping. Pell Grants have not kept pace with tuition hikes.

Wilson is early frontrunner to succeed Meek

State Sen. Frederica Wilson (D-Miami) has a long track record of success with voters who like FAMU alumnus Kendrick Meek. She won his state House seat after he left it to run for the Florida Senate. Then, she launched a successful bid for that senate seat when Meek ran for Congress.

Now, Wilson is throwing her hat in the ring to succeed Meek again. Currently, she is the frontrunner in the race for the U.S. House of Representatives District 17 seat, which Meek is vacating to pursue the U.S. Senate.

“This is a District I already know well,” Wilson said. “These are the same schools, businesses and families I’ve worked with and fought for my whole career. And just as I’ve made sure these communities had a voice in Tallahassee, I will do the same for them in Washington.”

Wilson, who sent her son to FAMU, vigorously supported the reestablishment of FAMU’s College of Law. In 2007, she joined FAMU students in protesting the death of Martin Lee Anderson, a black 14-year old who died while in the custody of a youth detention center.

As a legislator, she also worked with then-Gov. Jeb Bush to remove the Confederate flag from the state capitol, start HIV/AIDS testing in prisons, and reform the implementation of the FCAT. Recently, she joined with current Gov. Charlie Crist to achieve the restoration of voting rights for felons.

Other announced and potential candidates for the Congressional seat include: State Rep. Yolly Roberson, state Rep. Ronald Brise, Miami Gardens Mayor Shirley Gibson, Miami Gardens City Councilman André Williams, and former state Rep. Phillip Brutus.

HBCUs critical to closing earning gap

The latest statistics show that historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) such as FAMU remain critical to closing the racial earning gap in America.

According to the United Negro College Fund, HBCUs make up only 3 percent of American institutions of higher learning, but award about 20 percent of the baccalaureates to go to blacks.

Data compiled by the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education shows that a four-year college degree not only increases the earning potential of black Americans but almost completely closes the economic gap between black and white citizens who are equally credentialed.

The U.S. Bureau of the Census reports that blacks gain a vastly different value from a four-year college degree when compared with varying levels of educational achievement.

Blacks with an associate’s degree or two year community college degree improve their incomes by only 41 percent over blacks with only a high school diploma. Yet blacks with a bachelor’s degree, or four-year college degree, improve their incomes by 99.5 percent over that of blacks with high school diplomas alone.

More work is needed, though, in order to increase the number of college-educated black males.

Black women are now earning college degrees at twice the rate of their black male counterparts. In fact, the number of black women earning bachelor’s degrees has increased by 55 percent since the 1970’s compared with an increase of only 20 percent in black males.

The gender gap is even sharper in the areas of law and medicine. In those two fields black women have earned 219 percent more degrees since the 1970’s, while only black men only earned 5 percent more.

Happy Fourth of July!

DOE simplifies FAFSA

Fulfilling a campaign promise, the Obama Administration recently announced a shorter, simpler, and more user friendly Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The changes—some of which are already in place while others will be phased in over the next few months—are designed to increase postsecondary enrollment, particularly among low- and middle-income students.

"President Obama has challenged the nation to once again have the highest percentage of college graduates in the world," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "To do that, we need to make the college-going process easier and more convenient, and to send a clear message to young people as well as adults that college is within their reach. Simplifying the financial aid process is an important step toward reaching that goal."

In February, FAMU President James Ammons reported startling news on behalf of a statewide Presidential Work Group on Financial Aid: Florida’s college students failed to claim $24 million in financial aid that was available to them. One major reason for problem is that students and parents fail to complete the FAFSA because they consider it too long and complex.

The simplified FAFSA should help more students claim financial aid dollars that will help them through college.

Duncan outlined the following plan for streamlining the form.

-Since May 2009, the Education Department has provided instant estimates of Pell Grant and student loan eligibility, rather than forcing applicants to wait weeks. Links to graduation rates and other college information are also provided;

-Available summer 2009, enhanced skip-logic used in the new web-based FAFSA will reduce user navigation for many applicants by more than half;

-Starting in January 2010, students applying for financial aid for the spring semester will be able to seamlessly retrieve their relevant tax information from the IRS for easy completion of the online FAFSA. The Department of Education and the IRS will be working together to examine the possibility of expanding this option to all students in the future.

The Administration will also introduce legislation seeking statutory authority from Congress to eliminate financial information from the aid calculation formula that is not available from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This will remove 26 financial questions from the FAFSA form that have little impact on aid awards and can be difficult to complete. Only questions that rely upon information that applicants must already provide to the IRS would remain.

ABA committee recommends full accreditation for FAMU law

The FAMU College of Law’s detractors got some more bad news this week: a committee of the American Bar Association’s Section of Legal Education and Admission to the Bar just recommended full accreditation for the school.

The full section is expected to meet and vote on the recommendation by the end of the month.

Since confirming the news, school officials have been swamped with congratulatory phone calls. “There's a great deal of elation across the board,” Dean LeRoy Pernell said. "Accreditation is a tough process — as it should be. I'm proud of what we've done so far."

In 2007, newly-installed President James Ammons made the law school a top academic priority and immediately began repairing the damage inflicted by former Interim President Castell Bryant. During his first months in office, he quickly restored $5 million dollars that Castell had withheld from the college’s 2006-2007 legislative appropriation.

Through offering top-dollar for talent, Ammons lured Pernell, who had served as Northern Illinois University’s College of Law dean for 10 years, to head FAMU’s law school. Pernell, in turn, assembled a high-caliber administrative and faculty team of his own.

With the influx of state money, FAMU’s law professors were able to beef up their bar exam prep courses. Soon, students began performing better on the test.

Despite misleading news coverage, the ABA committee did its job to look at the facts about FAMU’s bar passage rates. The truth is that the overwhelming majority of FAMU law students pass the test. According to Pernell, the school’s overall passage rate is 80 percent.

Not everyone is excited about this important development. Check out the one-sentence blog post published by the St. Petersburg Times’ Gradebook. Then, compare it with the length of all the negative stories the blog has written about FAMU law.

Guess reporter Ron Matus isn’t happy that FAMU law isn’t giving him a bunch of bad news to talk about anymore.

ABA site team cites improvement at FAMU law

Orlando leaders rally around FAMU law

Vibe Magazine shutting down

Vibe, the music magazine founded in 1993 by legendary producer Quincy Jones and FAMU grad Keith Clinkscales is the latest victim of the media recession.

“We were assigning and editing a Michael Jackson tribute issue when we got the news,” Editor-in-Chief Danyel Smith wrote.

The magazine blames its failure on the sagging economy and the collapse of print advertising, a common woe of other print journalism products, according to Steve Aaron, former CEO of VIBE Media Group.

“There are very few magazines with the richness of history and breadth of talented visionaries who created the powerful lens in which VIBE viewed and shaped urban music and culture,” Aaron wrote in a memo to staff members.

Revenue growth from its web site, www.vibe.com, was not enough to offset the magazine’s losses, Aaron said.

“It’s a sad day for music, for hip hop in particular, and for the millions of readers and users who have loved and who continue to love the VIBE brand,” Smith said.

Vibe enjoyed significant success in the late '90s and early part of this decade as hip hop and R&B became the nation's predominant forms of pop music. But in recent years the title has fallen on hard times under its new owner, the Wicks Group, which bought it in 2006. In February, it reduced its circulation and publishing frequency, cut salaries and moved employees to a four-day workweek to save money.

Brogan might become chancellor

With state Sen. Jim King off the short list, a new name is creating buzz as a prospect for the State University System chancellorship: Frank Brogan.

The former lieutenant governor has served as Florida Atlantic University’s president since 2003. He and the Board of Governors seem to be encouraging the speculation.

“He would absolutely be the perfect candidate, exactly what the university system would need,” said Norman Tripp, a former FAU Board of Trustees chairman who now sits on the BOG. “He's got years of educational background and terrific political skills.”

An FAU spokeswoman told reporters that Brogan has been approached about the job and is considering it.

Add this to the signs that Brogan might apply for the position: he recently stepped down from the BOG's chancellor search committee without an explanation.

If picked, Brogan could be an asset to the BOG’s efforts to repair its credibility problem with the Florida Legislature. He’s widely considered to have gubernatorial ambitions. Lawmakers won’t want to make an enemy of out someone who could, one day, hold the veto pen.

But there’s a catch: Chancellor Brogan would be an employee that the BOG couldn’t fire. If it ever tried to do so, it would mean political suicide for a group that’s already struggling to gain respect.

Also, Brogan isn’t likely to be a heavy-handed leader who’s anxious to tell individual universities what to do. The boards of trustees are filled with businessmen and women who wrote big campaign checks for former Gov. Jeb Bush and current Gov. Charlie Crist. If Brogan is serious about running for governor, he won’t want to burn bridges with those potential contributors.

Along those lines, Brogan might not want to touch thorny issues like the infamous Pappas Plan which called for institutions like FAMU and the University of Central Florida to offer only baccalaureate degrees.

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