“Legacy Bowl” might dash FAMU football’s championship hopes

FAMU and all other members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) might be forced to forfeit their hopes of a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) title.

According to College Sporting News, the MEAC is considering giving up its automatic berth to the National Collegiate Athletic Association FCS playoffs in order to participate in a “Legacy Bowl.”

The proposed “Legacy Bowl” would feature the MEAC’s champion versus the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s (SWAC) champion on Dec 17. 2011. It would air on ESPN and the conferences would share a $3M payment.

The Legacy Bowl would replace the Heritage Bowl that was played between 1991 and 1999.

The idea of blocking FAMU’s path to the “big dance” is already fueling negative reactions across Rattler Country. As a potential solution, some have suggested that the MEAC could send its conference runner-up to the Legacy Bowl while continuing to send its conference winner to the FCS playoffs.

Rattler fans should contact President James H. Ammons, who has a vote on MEAC conference policies, and tell him that our fan base does not want a “Legacy Bowl” at the expense of a playoff berth.

OT: Unemployment rate falls in Florida and 33 other states

The number of people searching for work declined last month in 34 states. The US Department of Labor reported lower unemployment rates in most states in April, with many of them adding jobs during the latest reporting period.

Florida's unemployment rate improved for the first time in over four years, with 15,500 more workers finding jobs than those who lost them, state labor officials reported Friday.

More than 1.1 million Floridians remained jobless and the unemployment rate was 12 percent. That was slightly better than the record 12.3 percent set in March. It was the first improvement in the state's employment numbers time since February 2006, the Agency for Workforce Innovation said.

Forty-five of Florida's 67 counties reported double-digit unemployment in April.

Rural Liberty County, just west of Tallahassee and home to a state prison, had the lowest unemployment rate in the state at 6.7 percent, an improvement from a 7.3 percent mark in March. Most of the counties with the healthiest employment figures have more government jobs.

Nationally, the largest monthly drop in April came from South Carolina, which saw its unemployment rate fall to 11.6 percent from 12.2 percent in March.

North Dakota, which already boasts the lowest unemployment rate in the country, saw its rate decline to 3.8 percent from 4 percent in March.

Michigan, Nevada and California continued to struggle with extremely high unemployment, holding the top three spots for jobless rate. Michigan did see a slight decline in April to 14 percent, while Nevada saw a small increase to 13.7 percent and California remained unchanged at 12.6 percent.

The improvement in the unemployment rate could be a sign that the recovery is taking affect.

FAMU students to cover World Cup in South Africa

Six FAMU journalism and graphic communication students will join students from Shantou University in Guangdong Province, China in Johannesburg, Africa where they will produce daily multimedia stories about the 2010 FIFA World Cup of Soccer and its impact on life in South Africa.

“I’m pretty sure what we’re doing is unprecedented for a journalism program at a historically black university,” said Joe Ritchie, the Knight Chair in journalism at FAMU. “Few journalism students anywhere get to do a foreign reporting internship of any kind and to be at one of the biggest events on the planet is a huge deal.”

The students will be responsible for posting stories with video, audio and text as well as blogs, photo galleries and podcasts covering a range of topics related to the World Cup as well as to general social, economic and political issues about South Africa. Individuals can view their daily reports at http://www.famustu.net.

Ritchie made the connection with Shantou University while on a sabbatical leave in Asia a year ago. He helped arrange a semester abroad there this spring for another FAMU journalism student, Caryn Wilson, a senior from Charlotte, N.C. Wilson will be the upcoming editor-in-chief for The Famuan this fall.

“Shantou is an amazing place,” Ritchie said. “They teach many courses in English and have an amazing faculty which includes internationally known veteran journalists such as Peter Arnett, a former CNN correspondent, and Peter Herford, who was with CBS for years and worked closely with Walter Cronkite.”

Ritchie said he sees the project as an amazing opportunity for the FAMU students.

“This an opportunity for the students to broaden their global perspectives while getting major experience in the news-gathering techniques of the 21st century.”

This year is the first time that an African country has hosted the World Cup, which is scheduled from June 11 to July 11.

Crist spares all FAMU construction projects

After warning that he planned to closely scrutinize earmarks in the 2010-2011 budget, Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed $371 million in projects that in his view “did not receive adequate open and transparent review and others that did not follow established processes or benefited only select groups.”

However, the governor gave a thumbs-up to all of FAMU’s construction appropriations.

FAMU received the remaining $8.5M required to launch its Crestview Educational Center, $23M toward the estimated $30.9M price tag of Phase II of the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences building, and $4.199M for Phase III of the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. Electrical upgrades, capital renewal and other infrastructure projects received $7M.

Crist vetoed $46M designated for a new University of South Florida Polytechnic campus in Lakeland, including money for a pharmacy building. He left the $6M in operational dollars for the Polytechnic pharmacy school intact.

According to the Tampa Tribune, USF’s administration will use the operational dollars to run the pharmacy program at its main campus in Tampa “until facilities at Polytechnic are ready.”

USF initially asked for the pharmacy school to be placed on its Tampa campus, but Florida Senate budget chief J.D. Alexander arranged for the program's authorization to be limited to USF-Lakeland.

There’s little secret about Lakeland’s long-term ambition to have its own state university. The buzz is that the city’s legislative delegation will eventually introduce a bill to turn USF Polytechnic into a free-standing university named “Florida Polytechnic.”

Florida Polytech’s pharmacy school would have been a flagship program that would help the new university recruit top performing high school seniors and pump millions of research dollars into its budget.

Crist’s veto of the Lakeland construction money has given USF an excuse to get the pharmacy program started on its main campus, as originally planned. That could make it harder for Polytech to take the school away in future years.

FAMU professor receives Fulbright

FAMU Professor Seth Y. Ablordeppey, Ph.D., has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to conduct research at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana during the 2010-2011 academic year. Ablordeppey is a professor of medicinal chemistry and the division director of basic pharmaceutical sciences in the FAMU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Ablordeppey will work with local scientists and traditional herbalists to identify and transform plant products with antibacterial and antifungal properties into potential drugs for the treatment of one of the most threatening infections acquired while in the hospital (MRSA aka Superbug) and other opportunistic infections especially those associated with AIDS.

Ablordeppey is one of approximately 1,100 U.S. faculty and professionals who will travel abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program.

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, sponsors the Fulbright Program. The Program operates in over 155 countries worldwide.

Student with perfect attendance heads to FAMU

A high school senior who’s made national headlines for her scholastic performance is heading to FAMU this fall.

Khadrea Burton, a student at the Paxon School of Advanced Studies in Jacksonville, has never missed a day of class.

"I've never been sick where I couldn't come to school. If I did get sick it was probably on the weekends or during breaks," she said.

Her parents, who are both principals, helped her stay on track.

"I've tried to stay home a couple times, but the answer is always 'no'," she said.

Burton has been admitted to FAMU’s College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. She plans to maintain her perfect attendance record throughout her years on The Hill.

Ammons: Construction dollars important to research, economy

In a recent opinion column in Tallahassee Democrat, FAMU President James Ammons defended the construction dollars that are part of the university’s 2010-2011 budget appropriation.

He says that the “shovel ready” building projects will help jump start the state’s economy. Additionally, the facilities will enable FAMU to lure more federal research dollars and produce Ph.D. students who will make cutting-edge scientific discoveries.

From Ammons’ column:

The Legislature appropriated $23 million in Public Education Capital Outlay (PECO) funds to FAMU to begin construction on a 65,000-square-foot addition to the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. This addition, which was approved by the FAMU Board of Trustees and has been on the Board of Governors' PECO list for nearly seven years, is one of the top construction priorities for the university.

This project would allow the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences to increase the amount of federally funded research from its current $23 million annually to more than $45 million. This project supports Chancellor Frank Brogan's New Florida Initiative that would create jobs and generate the research and the talent Florida needs to build a new knowledge-based economy.

In addition, the new space would allow the College of Pharmacy to increase the number of Ph.D. students from 42 to 75. Already, FAMU has awarded more than 60 percent of the nation's minority Ph.D.'s in pharmaceutical sciences.

The Legislature also included in its 2010-11 budget $4.199 million to continue planning a much-needed third building for the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. The project received $1.971 million in PECO funding in 2009-10 (equally divided between both FAMU and FSU).

This third building will provide much-needed space to replace 14 portable trailer units the college currently occupies. These portable units were donated to the college by the Leon County Public Schools system and have outlived their usefulness.

These projects are "shovel ready" and will immediately infuse new money in Florida's economy.

In addition, we received $7 million to renovate a 40,000-square-foot building, which was donated by the city of Crestview, and $1.5 million to hire faculty and staff for the Crestview Educational Center to establish a pharmacy and other health programs. This is an excellent example of the type of inter-governmental collaboration that will help create a highly trained, rural health care work force that is sorely needed in this part of the state. These kinds of investments in higher education will continue to pay dividends over the long haul as Florida works to build a new and vibrant economy.

TaxWatch ignores favoritism in BOG budgeting process

For the third time in two years, TaxWatch is trying to torpedo a critically important project associated with FAMU’s College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

The private research institute wants Gov. Charlie Crist to veto an $8.5M dollar line item designated for FAMU’s Crestview Education Center. It claims the project is a "turkey" because it was not approved by the Board of Governors.

In 2008, TaxWatch also opposed the $2.5M the legislature appropriated to start the Crestview expansion project and $2M to plan Pharmacy Phase II, citing the same reason.

The BOG chose not to include Pharmacy Phase II in its 2008-2009 budget request despite the fact that it is critical to FAMU Pharmacy’s accreditation. That BOG action came after Castell Bryant, a former BOG member and FAMU interim president, refused to let the pharmacy faculty members spend funds that were supposed to go to planning Phase II.

Had the legislature and governor not re-authorized the Phase II planning money in 2008-2009, pharmacy would be in serious jeopardy of failing to meet the laboratory and classroom space requirements for its re-accreditation process this year.

Interestingly, the BOG chose to support the creation of a brand new pharmacy school at the University of South Florida during the same year (2008) it opted against backing the Phase II planning money that FAMU Pharmacy needed to avoid having its accreditation revoked.

TaxWatch did not seem to care. It asked Crist to veto the Phase II planning money anyway.

Now, TaxWatch wants Crist to strike down the remaining money needed to help FAMU Pharmacy expand in to Crestview. This comes in the wake of a dire pharmacist shortage throughout the state.

“This is offensive,” said Sen. Durell Peaden, who championed the Crestview project. “We need to do more, and TaxWatch just looks at this from a simplistic point of view.”

TaxWatch has said absolutely nothing about the signs of political favoritism in the “official” budget request and academic program authorization processes led by the BOG. This year, the BOG asked the legislature to give the green light to a new medical at Florida Atlantic University, which Chancellor Frank Brogan recently led as president. The FAU medical school will soon need millions more in recurring taxpayer dollars.

Brogan, who is widely expected to become a Republican candidate for governor in the near future, appears to be taking care of voters and political contributors he will need in the Boca Raton area. It is no surprise that FAMU, whose supporters are mostly in the Democratic Party, is not a priority for him.

TaxWatch needs to pull its head out the sand and realize that the BOG is not an “objective” group. Its budgetary process is every bit as political as the legislature’s. The bottom line is that there is a shortage of pharmacists in Florida and FAMU’s Crestview Education Center will lead the way in addressing that problem, particularly for rural Floridians.

Contact the Governor

All FAMUans should contact Gov. Crist today and ask him to approve the FAMU construction items in the 2010-2011 budget ---$23 million for Pharmacy Phase II, $4.2 million for the College of Engineering, and the $8.5 million for the Crestview Education Center.

Tuition, fee collections fall $7.5M short of legislative projections

As usual, FAMU came nowhere close to meeting the Florida Legislature’s tuition and fee projections during the fiscal year ending (FYE) in 2009.

The legislature estimated that FAMU would bring in $52.7M in tuition and fee money in FYE 2009. FAMU collected $7.5M less than that figure for a total of $45.2M.

Each year, the legislature bases its tuition and fee projections on the bogus assumption that every university student will take a full course load.

FAMU’s housing shortage makes college very expensive for the student body. Most students come from families that make $30,000 or less per year and reduce their course loads as the cost of college goes up.

Even though the legislature continues to use projections that are out-of-touch with reality, FAMU did actually see a big net increase in its overall tuition and fee collections. FAMU’s net gain was $5,825,368 in FYE 2009. It was only $181,627 in FYE 2008.

2009’s enrollment increase of 417 students helped bring in more tuition and fee money. FAMU President James Ammons also increased the university's institutional grant budget by $4.9M, which gave students more money to spend on classes.

Legislative tuition/fee projections:
2009: $52,778,244
2008: $52,367,797
2007: $56,427,269

FAMU’s tuition/fee collections:
2009: $45,262,162
2008: $39,436,794
2007: $39,255,167

The legislature estimates that FAMU will receive $57.1M in tuition and fees in FYE 2010.

Source: FAMU IPEDS reports.

26 FAMU athletes make MEAC all-academic team

Twenty-six FAMU students-athletes have been named to the 2010 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Commissioner’s All-Academic Team. In all, 593 student-athletes from the conference’s 12 member institutions with cumulative grade point averages of 3.0 or better during the 2009-10 academic year made the team.

The following FAMU student athletes made the team:

Women (8): Amanda Reyes (WSB, Architecture), Kierra Holiday (WTR, Criminal Justice), Tiffany Morrow (WTR, Criminal Justice), Ashley Melson (WBO, Criminal Justice), Danielle Anderson (WBB, Chemistry), Tameka McKelton (WBB, Criminal Justice), Kathline Durden (WTE, Computer Info), Jessica Bond (WVB, Business).

Men (18): Jack Dash (MSW, Engineering), Akie Smythe (MSW, Intem, Agriculture), Adeyemi Oluwatobiloba (MBA, Psychology), David Duncan (MBA, Undeclared), Darryl Evans Jr. (MBA, Criminal Justice), Isaac Brown (MBB, Journalism), Yannick Crowder (MBB, Business), Christopher Walker (MBB, Criminal Justice), Gallop Franklin (MGO, Pharmacy), Elijah Jackson (MGO, Pre-Med), Forrest Jenkins (MTE, Business), Micheal Moore (MTE, Political Science), Cameron Houston (MFB, Criminal Justice), Gregory Lee (MFB, African-American History), Cory McCloughen (MFB, History), Padric Scott (MFB, Biology), Derrick Shaw (MFB, Social Work), Isaac West (MFB, Criminal Justice).

Proctor calls for enforcement of black history law

Sixteen years ago, the Florida Legislature passed a bill that was signed by then Gov. Lawton Chiles mandating that teach African American history be taught throughout the 67 counties and school districts in the state. According to Leon County Commissioner William C. “Bill” Proctor, Chiles’ former special assistant, this law has not been fully enforced.

On Thursday, during the 147th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, Proctor and a group of civil leaders released letters sent to the governor, attorney general, cabinet, and the executive director of the Florida Association of Superintendents asking them to address this issue.

“The State of Florida is in contempt of its own laws,” Proctor said in a news release. “The freedom of African American history must flow until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Proctor’s initiative comes in the wake of a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) campaign to challenge controversial changes to Texas’ K-12 education curriculum. The Texas State Board of Education has approved modifications that critics believe are rightwing revisionist reinterpretations of American history. The board is accused of rewriting the curriculum to praise McCartyism, attack the Civil Rights Movement, and give racial minorities a lower profile.

Rod Paige, who served as U.S. Secretary of Education under former President George W. Bush, joined NAACP President Benjamin Jealous in denouncing the Texas changes.

"We have allowed ideology to drive and define the standards of our Texas curriculum and it has swung from liberal to conservative depending on the members of state board," Paige said. "What students are taught should not be the handmaiden of political ideology."

Proctor wants Florida to properly recognize the contributions African Americans have made to the state and nation.

“The history of African Americans has not been emancipated and though physically liberated from slavery the stories, contributions, and life struggles of African Americans are still in bondage,” Proctor said.

Redda appointed acting VP for research

FAMU President James H. Ammons has appointed Kinfe Ken Redda, Ph.D., a professor in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (COPPS), as acting vice president for the Division of Research. Redda once served as an associate vice president for Research from 2004 to 2005.

“He is an outstanding professor, researcher and administrator with a long history of securing research grants. He has consistently been honored by his peers,” said Ammons. Redda will hold down the spot while the university will conducts a national search for a new vice president of Research.

Since Redda started working at FAMU in January 1985 he has generated more than $30.1 million in funded research and training grant awards.

A prolific grantsman, Redda graduated from the faculty of pharmacy, University of Albert (Canada) with a Ph.D. degree in Medicinal Chemistry in 1978. He completed a two-year postdoctoral research fellowship in synthetic medicinal chemistry at Dalhousie University, Canada. He served as an assistant professor of medicinal chemistry at the College of Pharmacy, University of Puerto Rico in San Juan from 1980 to 1984.

In 1998, former FAMU President Frederick S. Humphries appointed Redda to serve as the director of the NIH funded Minority Biomedical Research Support (MBRS) Program at FAMU. He was promoted to a full professor level in 1989. Redda excelled in expanding and strengthening biomedical research on campus and generated millions of dollars for FAMU from NIH during his tenure as the MBRS director for 17 years. He was also the principal investigator and program director of the highly successful NASA funded and FAMU administered Space Life Sciences Training Program (SLSTP), a summer program for about 40 college students that were recruited nationally from1987-1995.

Redda has an active and productive research team of research associates, postdoctoral fellows, graduate and undergraduate students in his laboratory. His research involves the design and synthesis of nitrogen heterocycles as anti-inflammatory and anticancer agents. Many of his former research students have successfully completed their M.S., Pharm.D., M.D. and Ph.D. degrees and pursued professional and/or biomedical research careers.

Redda is the author of “Cocaine, Marijuana, Designer Drugs: Chemistry, Pharmacology and Behavior.” He has also authored about 50 scientific peer-reviewed and indexed papers. His research findings were presented in more than 80 national and international scientific meetings, including all over USA, Africa, Canada, Switzerland, United Kingdom, China, Germany, Russia, Austria, Italy, and Dubai (UAE).

FAMU celebrates Emancipation Proclamation

To help celebrate the 147th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, the Carrie Meek - James N. Eaton, Sr. Southeastern Regional Black Archives opened a historical exhibit titled "News of Freedom." The event took place yesterday evening at a special Freedom’s Eve reception at the archive’s Union Bank satellite museum located at 219 Apalachee Parkway.

According to some historians, the roots of New Year's Eve watch night services in African-American communities date back to the period of slavery. Bondsmen gathered in their homes and churches on December 31, 1862, waiting on news that the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed into law and that enslaved individuals laboring in the Confederate State were free. African Americans all over the country celebrated the “News of Freedom” with prayer, song, music, dance and fellowship.

Last night, African Americans and other ethnic groups continue to meet in their churches for New Year’s Eve watch night services. The “News of Freedom” exhibit seeks to commemorate this important, time-honored American tradition.

FAMU Foundation hit hard by economy

In 2008, the FAMU Foundation weathered America’s financial crisis much better than many other universities. However, the recession finally caught up with the foundation last year.

The foundation’s net assets dropped from $114M in 2008 to $89M in 2009 for a loss of approximately $25M.

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.

FAMU Foundation Net Assets

2005: $94M
2006: $104M
2007: $119M
2008: $114M
2009: $89M

Source: FAMU IPEDS Reports.

Franklin elected FSA chair, joins BOG

For the first time since the Florida Board of Governors was established in 2003, the group has a member who strongly supports FAMU’s research ambitions.

Gallop Franklin, II, now entering his second term as FAMU’s student body president, is the new student representative on the BOG. He earned the position by virtue of his recent election as the chairman of the Florida Student Association (FSA).

Franklin, a doctor of pharmacy student who previously served as FSA’s external vice chairman, is now the official voice of the more than 300,000 students within the State University System (SUS) of Florida.

During the past legislative session, Franklin vigorously lobbied for FAMU’s College of Dental Medicine bill. The BOG refused to support the dental school proposal despite Florida’s severe dentist shortage. At the same time, the BOG fast-tracked the approval process for Florida Atlantic University’s request for a medical school.

The only other FAMU alumnus who’s ever served on the BOG was Castell V. Bryant. As FAMU’s interim president, Castell worked to undermine the university’s major research programs. She failed to release badly needed money to the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (which landed the program on probation) and tried to give the joint College of Engineering away to Florida State University.

Castell’s friends on the BOG did all they could to protect her while she was harming key schools that pump millions of research dollars into FAMU’s budget.

Franklin will have a seat at the table as the BOG begins to exercise its new power to set the mission of each SUS institution. He will also have a say in the process of appointing trustees at FAMU and all the other public universities.

Crist signs watered down "tier" bill

Last Wednesday, Gov. Charlie Crist signed HB 7237 into law. It creates a two-tier university system which uses the classifications established by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching to determine which Florida public universities receive special treatment.

The bill originated as an attempt to designate the University of Florida as the state’s de facto “flagship” institution. Following a public outcry, Sen. Evelyn Lynn struck all the “flagship” language from proposal and watered it down to create a two-tier system that would also give Florida State and South Florida a privileged status.

The senate version of the bill died but its contents were placed in HB 7237.

The new law reads: “A nationally recognized and ranked university that has a global perspective and impact shall be afforded the freedom to pursue an agenda on the global stage in fair competition with other institutions of other states in the highest Carnegie classification.”

The top Carnegie classification is Research University (Very High Research Activity). The second highest category is “Research University (High Research Activity).” Carnegie classifies FAMU as a “Doctoral Research University,” the third highest category.

The revised version of the bill did not attract resistance from the Florida Conference of Black State Legislators. It passed the House with a unanimous vote and passed the Senate 37 to 1.

It is still possible for FAMU to reach the top Carnegie classification. As part of the State University System’s 1999-2003 Strategic Plan, Florida’s Board of Regents approved a Center of Excellence in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology (or COESMET) at FAMU. The program’s purpose: increase black Ph.D. recipients in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Specifically, the center was to add ten Ph.D. programs in two phases from 2001 to 2010. Phase I consisted of: Physics, 2001; Computer Science, 2002; Chemistry, 2003; Biology, 2004; and Computer Engineering, 2005. Phase II included Ph.Ds in Mathematics, Agricultural Sciences, Environmental Engineering and Biological and Agricultural Systems Engineering between 2006 and 2010.

So far, FAMU has only launched the Physics Ph.D. The remaining Ph.D. programs have not been funded by the legislature. If FAMU receives enough money to finish adding all the COESMET Ph.D. programs, it will grant enough doctorates to qualify for a higher Carnegie classification.

However, the new tiering system will not help FAMU’s efforts to become a bigger research university. The privileged status for “first tier” universities places a negative mark on all the rest of the State University System institutions and could make it more difficult for them to compete for state funding, federal research dollars, and new academic programs.

The new law also directs the Board of Governors to “align the missions of each constituent university with the academic success of its students; the national reputation of its faculty and its academic and research programs; the quantity of externally generated research, patents, and licenses; and the strategic and accountability plans.”

FAMUans must now watch the BOG closely and fight any “mission alignment” that would restrict the university’s ability to continue expanding its doctoral programs.

Florida Bar Foundation awards grant to FAMU law

The FAMU College of Law has received an $18,000 grant from the Florida Bar Foundation to support its Public Service Fellows Program in the Legal Clinic.

The grant will provide scholarships for up to eight law students who will promote pro bono and public service legal assistance activities on law school campuses and in the legal profession. This is the fifth consecutive year the FAMU College of Law has received the Law School Public Service Fellows grant, which will run from May 1, 2010 to April 30 2011. The Florida Bar Foundation sponsors the fellows through its Law Student Assistance Grant Program.

Working about 150 hours in both the fall 2010 and spring 2011 semesters, the Public Service Fellows will work with established programs such as the Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar, and Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida to promote the preservation of families and children. One law student will service clients in Osceola County; another will service education clients in Orange County; and two will service a broader group of clients in Orange County. Providing pro bono legal services to clients referred by the established agencies, the law students will handle guardian ad litem, disability, special education and other cases that address the legal needs of children and families.

“Because of the funding provided by this grant from the Florida Bar Foundation, our law students will be in position to expand upon past findings of the need for increased pro bono legal services for children and families in the underserved areas of Central Florida,” said Dean LeRoy Pernell.

Alumna writes book on grandfather's struggle

For more than 30 years, FAMU alumna Laura McLoud Bell was inspired by her grandfather's story and fought passionately to preserve his legacy.

Her grandfather, the late Dr. Alpha Omega Campbell, was one of the few multi-millionaires in Tallahassee in the early 1900s.

McLoud Bell honored her grandfather in her book, “A Good and Kindly Heart: The Amazing Life of Dr. Alpha Omega Campbell.”

“He was a man gifted with keen intellect and vision ahead of his time,” said McLoud Bell, who co-wrote the book with her sister, Gaile McLoud Wiggins. “As a physician he treated his patients with skill and kindness. His value was that everyone deserved good healthcare. As a man of color, he faced the challenges of living in a segregated world with courage, determination and unwavering faith.”

Campbell, who was educated in Boston, returned to Tallahassee in 1914 and established his practice. His wife, Maggie Lou, was half white. Her father was one of the richest white men in Tallahassee.

With the help from Maggie Lou’s wealth, Campbell was able to become a multi-millionaire in the early 1900s. He opened the first privately owned black hospital in Tallahassee — The Laura Bell Memorial Hospital in 1946.

Campbell acquired quantities of land around the Leon County fairgrounds and named streets after his daughters and granddaughters.

His dynasty ended in the summer of 1955 when he was convicted of manslaughter in the death of a white woman for performing an illegal abortion. He was sent to prison for four years. During and after his release from prison, he fought for the reinstatement of his medical license. His license was reinstated in 1971. He died six years later.

This book is comprised of stories and memories of former patients and employees, along with neighbors who served as the underpinning of the book’s core.

“We are grateful that my grandfather’s full measure of contributions have survived in the hearts and minds of those who believed in him,” said McLoud Bell.

For more information, visit www.aoclostdynasty.com.

Campus queen recruiting more male IB students to FAMU

As the new Miss Florida A&M University, Kindall Johnson will revel in the pomp and circumstance involved with being a campus queen.

Wearing a tiara and sash, she will appear at Rattler football games dressed in stylish suits. Johnson will offer a wave typically used only by dignitaries, and beam a smile that makes it easy to understand why friends and family call her Sunshine.

But her one-year reign will involve so much more than traditional pageantry. With the position, the Hillsborough High graduate embarks on a new mission of recruiting more African-American men from International Baccalaureate and advanced placement programs to FAMU, the state's only historically black public university.

You might expect Johnson, 20, to spend her time promoting women like herself. But with wisdom that goes beyond her years, Johnson said not enough is being done to help black men.

"If we want to change the black family, the black woman and the black child, we have to start with making the black man academically, spiritually and mentally sound," Johnson said. "The black family needs black men who can be positive contributors to the community.

"A lot has been done to empower the black woman, but not enough has been done to empower the black man, and sometimes I think empowering black women has come at the expense of emasculating the black man."

Johnson said she believes advisers and counselors don't encourage a lot of high-achieving black students — male or female — to consider FAMU and other historically black colleges.

An IB graduate herself, Johnson said she heard this remark more than once: "You're too smart for FAMU."

Read the full article here.

FAMU recognizes its top researchers

FAMU's Division of Research (DoR) hosted its inaugural Principle Investigator Appreciation and Researcher of the Year Awards Luncheon Friday, April 23, in the Foster Tanner Band Rehearsal Hall. DoR awarded a total of $23,000 during the luncheon.

“It is wonderful to be the first,” said FAMU environmental sciences professor Larry Robinson. “Many years from now, we will look back at this moment. We have set the standard. Today’s event is a small token of our appreciation.”

Karam F.A. Solima, Ph.D., College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (COPPS), received the 2010 FAMU Distinguished Researcher Award. Seth Y. Ablordeppey, Ph.D., COPPS; Mandip S. Sachdeva, COPPS; Gokhan Hacisalihoglu, Ph.D., College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biological Sciences; and David Jackson Jr., Ph.D., College of Arts and Sciences, Department of History and Political Science, received the 2010 FAMU Research Excellence Award, respectively. Barack O. Abonyo, Ph.D., COPPS; Nelly N. Mateeva, Ph.D., College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistry; and Karunya K. Kandimalla, Ph.D., COPPS, received the 2010 FAMU Emerging Researcher Award, respectively.

Dean Makola Abdullah, Ph.D., College of Engineering Sciences, Technology and Agriculture, said the luncheon gave many a chance to reflect on their accomplishments and reflect with their colleagues.

“Your work has helped FAMU to fulfill its mission,” said Abdullah.

FAMU President James H. Ammons, Ph.D., said research is one of the most important parts of FAMU, citing the university’s world-class research program.

“This is long overdue,” Ammons said of the recognition luncheon. “Research is a part of the university’s DNA. The work you have done has been amazing. In spite of the difficult times, you have found a way to excel and promote our best and brightest.”

Hawkins is NABJ's Educator of the Year

During its 35th Annual Convention and Career Fair in San Diego this summer, the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) will bestow the 2010 Educator of the Year Award upon FAMU Professor James Hawkins.

NABJ will recognize Hawkins, the dean of the FAMU School of Journalism and Graphic Communication, for his commitment to journalism education and his dedication to students at one of the leading HBCU journalism campus in the nation.

Hawkins arrived at FAMU in 1977, just three years after the journalism program began, as an assistant professor in broadcast journalism. He continued his professional development during the summer as a working journalist with the Associated Press and the Oakland Tribune. The dedication to the classroom and to his craft paved the road for advancement for Hawkins. In 1982, the program evolved into the School of Journalism and Graphic Communication, and Hawkins was named director of the division of journalism.

In 2003, Hawkins became interim dean after the sudden resignation of founding Dean Robert Ruggles. Less than a year later, the FAMU Board of Trustees made it official and named Hawkins dean in 2004.

Hawkins has led the J-School to many successes. Some of the joys include seeing its student chapter, FAMU-ABJ, clinch the 2008 NABJ Student Chapter of the Year, as well as sharing the joy of FAMU alumna Kathy Y. Times winning the election as being elected NABJ President in 2009 and FAMU journalism student Georgia Dawkins’ successful bid for NABJ Student Representative.

“As a former student of Dr. Hawkins, I can attest to his remarkable and unwavering commitment to making sure journalism students succeed and excel in a competitive profession,” Times said. “He has made it a priority to send FAMU students to NABJ conventions and conferences for more than 20 years. I’m proud to call him a mentor and a dear friend to NABJ.”

The School of Journalism and Graphic Communication at FAMU offers four journalism sequences: newspaper, magazine production, broadcast (radio and television) and public relations. FAMU has the first journalism program at a historically black university to be nationally accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications.

“Dean Hawkins has invested so much of his time and resources into NABJ and into introducing the organization to a new generation,” Dawkins said. “I am a proud product of his generosity and love for NABJ!”

Hawkins will be honored during the Salute to Excellence Awards Gala, which recognizes journalism that best covered the black experience or addressed issues affecting the worldwide black community during 2009.

DRS bailout totaled $425,802

Back in January, the poor leadership at FAMU’s Developmental Research School (DRS) and dirty politics on the university’s Board of Trustees led to a six figure bailout for the K-12 program.

On January 29, 2010, the FAMU BOT voted to use $425,802 from the FAMU DRS Trust Fund to cover projected deficits at the school.

The primary source of funding for FAMU DRS is the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) at the Florida Department of Education. FEFP money is based upon the number of fulltime equivalents (FTEs), a measure of student credit hours, that a school produces.

FAMU DRS produced fewer FTEs this year because of the subpar recruitment efforts led by Superintendent Ronald Holmes. Holmes failed to boost DRS’ student numbers enough to bring in the money required for this year’s budget. Enrollment only reached 544 this year after Holmes projected 600. The new DRS building is designed for 764 students.

As Rattler Nation reported, many FAMUans suspect that Trustee R.B. Holmes played a big role in getting his brother hired. There was no doubt that as one of the seven critical votes that James Ammons needed to become FAMU’s president, Holmes had the power to twist Ammons’ arm and make personal demands during the selection process.

Ever since R.B. Holmes threw his support behind Bill Jennings’ 2009 reelection bid for the BOT chairmanship, word has spread on campus that there’s an understanding that Holmes’ brother will not be summoned before the BOT to answer tough questions about the increasingly bad situation at DRS.

At the January meeting, trustees kept their mouths shut and refused to ask tough questions about the increasingly bad situation at DRS. No one requested that Ron Holmes appear at any future board meeting to personally account for what he's done to FAMU's K-12 school.

The BOT’s bailout vote and decision to shield Holmes from tough questioning shows that it thinks the current DRS superintendent should receive a blank check.

Legendary actress and singer Lena Horne dies at age 92

Lena Horne, who was the first black performer to be signed to a long-term contract by a major Hollywood studio and who went on to achieve international fame as a singer, has died. She was 92.

Ms. Horne might have become a major movie star, but she was born 50 years too early, and languished at MGM in the 1940s because of the color of her skin.

Ms. Horne was stuffed into one “all-star” musical after another — “Thousands Cheer” (1943), “Broadway Rhythm” (1944), “Two Girls and a Sailor” (1944), “Ziegfeld Follies” (1946), “Words and Music” (1948) — to sing a song or two that could easily be snipped from the movie when it played in the South, where the idea of an African-American performer in anything but a subservient role in a movie with an otherwise all-white cast was unthinkable.

Obama administration talks up importance of HBCUs

On the heels of proposals to merge public historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in Georgia and Mississippi, the White House has reasserted its position that HBCUs are critical to the nation’s future.

This month, Obama administration officials are visiting 11 HBCUs to deliver commencement addresses. The appearances follow the recent passage of a new multimillion federal spending package for HBCUs. The funds, proposed by the White House and approved by Congress, include a boost in Title III money, Strengthening HBCUs program, Strengthening Historically Black Graduate Institution program, HBCU Capital Financing Program, and other grants.

On Sunday, U.S. President Barack Obama spoke to the graduating class of Hampton University.

“Just as your education can fortify you, it can also fortify our nation, as a whole,” the president said. “More and more, America’s economic preeminence, our ability to outcompete other countries, will be shaped not just in our boardrooms and on our factory floors, but in our classrooms, our schools, and at universities like Hampton; by how well all of us, and especially us parents, educate our sons and daughters.”

First Lady Michelle Obama sent off the graduates of University of Arkansas – Pine Bluff on Saturday. She urged her young listeners to preserve through the tough challenges that awaited them.

“Suddenly, you're facing a future of debt in the form of tens of thousands of dollars of student loans - and you've got to find a job that will start paying the bills before the bill collectors come knocking,” Mrs. Obama stated. “I know the feeling. It wasn't that long ago that my husband and I were still paying off our own loans.”

Earlier this year, the Obama administration worked with Congress to pass an increase in the Pell Grant maximum award in order to help financially needy students. In 2011, students attending HBCUs will receive about $900 million in Pell Grants, an increase of nearly $400 million since the Administration took office.

Other officials participating in graduation ceremonies include Secretary Robert Gates, Department of Defense (Morehouse College), Secretary Arne Duncan, Department of Education (Xavier University), Administrator Charles Bolden, NASA (Huston-Tillotson University), Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President (Morgan State University), Melody Barnes, Director, White House Domestic Policy Council (Virginia Union University), and Ambassador Susan Rice, United Nations (Spelman College). In addition, John Wilson, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, is scheduled to speak to Wilberforce University, Wiley College, and Harris-Stowe State University.

Robinson confirmed by U.S. Senate

The U.S. Senate confirmed FAMU Vice-President of Research Larry Robinson by unanimous consent Thursday, May 6, to serve as assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Robinson will help guide policy and program direction for NOAA’s conservation, protection and resource management priorities.

On Monday, May 10, at 11:30 a.m., Robinson will be sworn-in on the steps of Lee Hall.

NOAA helps protect, restore, and manage the use of ocean, coastal and Great Lakes’resources through an ecosystem-based approach to management.

“Protecting valuable coastal ecosystems and marine life while promoting resilient coastal communities is critical to the economic well-being and health of the nation,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. “Dr. Robinson has broad, interdisciplinary scientific expertise in marine and coastal ecosystems and understands how they contribute to economic and societal health. His proven capability as a visionary leader and experience integrating many complex program objectives will advance NOAA’s efforts to ensure the health and vitality of coastal communities and the resources on which they depend.”

In his new position, Robinson will support and manage NOAA's coastal and marine programs, including marine sanctuaries for preserving areas of special national significance, fisheries management to sustain economic prosperity, and nautical charts for safe navigation. He will also support NOAA’s participation as a lead agency in President Obama’s Ocean Policy Task Force.

“Once he is sworn in next week, Dr. Robinson will go to the Gulf Coast, where he will help coordinate NOAA’s scientific resources throughout the region,” said Jane Lubchenco, under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA Administrator. “With a background in coastal resource management and the environmental sciences, as well as his personal familiarity with the region’s ecosystems and communities, he will significantly further the federal government’s response to the spill’s effects.”

“Having spent so many years working on ocean and coastal ecosystem issues, I am excited to be joining NOAA at this dynamic and challenging time,” Robinson said. “As we confront climate change and other threats to our coastal communities, I look forward to helping develop and implement national ocean policy, and working with fishing communities and councils around the country to effectively manage our valuable fisheries. There is so much important work to be done that benefits the economy, the environment and our communities.”

FAMU law ranked #1 most diverse - again

The FAMU College of Law was recognized by U.S. News & World Report for having the most diverse law school in the nation - for the second consecutive year.

FAMU earned the outright No. 1 spot with a diversity ranking of 0.66. FAMU tied for top honors with Texas Southern University the previous year, and U.S. News also recognized FAMU as the most diverse law school for the 2006-2007 academic year.

“As part of our mission we strive to increase the representation of minorities within the legal profession and to maintain a leadership position in racial diversity,” said FAMU College of Law Dean LeRoy Pernell. “We are very proud that for the second consecutive year this ranking acknowledges our sincere efforts to fulfill this key element of our mission.”

According to U.S. News & World Report, to identify law schools where students are most likely to encounter classmates from different racial or ethnic groups, U.S. News has created a diversity index based on the total proportion of minority students—not including international students—and the mix of racial and ethnic groups on campus.

The index is calculated using demographic data reflecting each law school's student body during the 2009-2010 academic year, including both full- and part-time students. The groups that form the basis for the calculations are African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, and non-Hispanic whites. The formula produces a diversity index that ranges from 0.0 to 1.0. The closer a school’s number is to 1.0, the more diverse is the student population. Law schools that enroll a large proportion of students from one ethnic group, even if it is a minority group, do not score high in this index.

To be included in the ranking, a law school must be accredited by the American Bar Association. The FAMU College of Law received full accreditation from the ABA in July 2009, and was provisionally accredited from 2004 to 2009. Because student-body ethnic diversity data are not consistently compiled and reported as yet for other types of graduate schools, U.S. News & World Report has prepared a diversity table only for law schools.

FAMU must trim budget again

At first glance FAMU’s 2010-2011 general revenue appropriation figure may look much bigger than last year’s, but looks can be deceiving.

FAMU received $92.6M in general revenue from this year’s legislative session. That’s up from $87M last year. However, $6M of next year’s general revenue appropriation is nonrecurring money designated for “special outreach” projects.

That means FAMU actually has about $86.6M to spend for recurring expenses.

All the State University System of Florida institutions took a 1.5 percent cut in recurring revenue during the legislative session that just ended. The SUS budget slid from $3.6B last year to $3.4B this year.

FAMU must deal with that 1.5 percent reduction while also preparing for federal stimulus dollars to expire in 2011-2012. FAMU used $7.4M in stimulus funds to save jobs this year and just received the final $8.4M in stimulus money.

After last year’s special session budget cuts, FAMU had $82.8M left. President James Ammons recently told the Tallahassee Democrat that the university plans to slice another $3.1M from its 2010-2011 budget.

By running on a $79.7M budget next year, FAMU will be ready for the pending loss of the more than $7M in stimulus money that it spent to pay personnel salaries. The $3.8M bump in general revenue (over last year's $82.8M special session figure), plus the $3.1M spending cut will help to fill the void that will be left when the stimulus money runs out.

FAMU lacks funds to save Jax dental clinic

FAMU had hoped to rescue a Jacksonville dental clinic that the University of Florida plans to close on June 30 and use the facility to get its own dental school started. However, those hopes were dashed when the legislature failed to authorize a College of Dental Medicine at FAMU and did not appropriate enough money for FAMU to fund the Jacksonville operation.

FAMU will still go forward with the $1.5M planning process for a College of Dental Medicine.

From the Jacksonville-Times Union:

The prospect of a new college of dentistry at Florida A&M University that would operate a Jacksonville dental clinic was delayed when the Legislature failed to pass legislation authorizing the college.

FAMU’s director of governmental relations, Tola Thompson, said Wednesday the proposed dental school failed to get any planning money. However, FAMU will be using other funds to move ahead with planning for the school, which would not accept its first students until 2015, Thompson said.

Backers hoped that the new FAMU college would take over operations of the University of Florida College of Dentistry’s Jacksonville clinic slated to close June 30.

“We have a great interest in operating the Jacksonville dental clinic, but we don’t have the resources,” Thompson said.

Karen Rhodenizer, director of communications for the UF College of Dentistry, said that when the decision was being made to close the clinic, other dental colleges and schools were contacted about taking it over in a collaborative effort. But nothing developed.

Rhodenizer said FAMU Provost Cynthia Hughes-Harris and CFO Teresa Hardy went to Gainesville March 30 and met with Teresa Dolan, dean of the UF College of Dentistry, to talk about dental education and the history of the clinic.

“We will continue to be available to FAMU officials as they work on building a dental program,” Rhodenizer said.

Read the full article here.

FAMU’s dental school hopes suffer setback

Despite FAMU’s high hopes this legislative session, its pursuit of a dental school came short of the finish line.

The companion bills to authorize a FAMU College of Dental Medicine, filed by Sen. Al Lawson and Rep. Alan Williams, both died in committee.

FAMU did receive good news in its budget that will help it kick the dental school planning process into high gear.

Lawson netted a special $6M line item for FAMU outreach projects. He said the money could go to help FAMU rescue a Jacksonville dental clinic that the University of Florida plans to close on June 30, 2010.

Moving into the Jacksonville building would significantly reduce the start-up costs associated with opening a FAMU dental school. FAMU could begin its program in Jacksonville until it acquires a facility in Tallahassee. After that, the Jacksonville clinic could become a residency site.

Additionally, FAMU received new general revenue and educational enhancement dollars that will help it fund some of the personnel positions that were being paid out of federal stimulus money. That means the university now has great flexibility to pay for the estimated $1.5M in planning costs associated with the dental school.

FAMU appoints new director of recruitment

FAMU recently named Renee Washington as its newest director of recruitment.

Washington, a FAMU alumna, said it feels good to be back home.

“I am so excited,” said Washington. “I love FAMU and I have always been loyal to this university. I feel it’s the best historically black college or university any student should want to attend.”

Washington is a three-time FAMU graduate. She received her bachelor’s in management and marketing in 1983; a master’s degree in applied social sciences in 1988; and a master's of education in 1994.

She has held the position as director of freshmen year experience program in the FAMU School of General Studies and as the registrar of the FAMU College of Law from 2002-2007. From 2007-2009, Washington was the faculty counselor for Hillsborough Community College: Ybor City Campus.

Washington says her wealth of experience, enthusiasm and knowledge from her previous positions will help her better serve in the current position.

“I plan to have a wider territory—going to more high schools,” Washington said of her plans. “I also want to initiate the Just One Project, where alumni and employees recruit one student to attend FAMU per year. It’s not difficult or time consuming. It will help with retention and accountability. We are out there getting the best and the brightest. It is not about I, it’s about us.”

Mullen urges graduates to consider ways to serve

By John D. Banusiewicz
American Forces Press Service

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff evoked civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.’s contention that “everybody can be great, because anyone can serve” in commencement remarks to the Class of 2010 at Florida A&M University.

“Service in uniform is not exactly what I am driving at,” Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told graduates, and others gathered in the Alfred Lawson Gymnasium.

“Although if the Marching 100 seniors feel like taking all that energy and precision to another level,” he joked, “I have some recruiting applications available in the back.”

The Marching 100, Florida A&M’s marching band, has performed at five Super Bowls and has been credited with creating more than 30 techniques that have become standard for high school and college marching bands around the country.

King’s message is great, the admiral said, because it means anybody can serve, and service will make everybody great.

Service and citizenship have changed since he graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1968, the year King was assassinated, Mullen said, but the face of America also has changed.

“The faces of those who influence have become more diverse – more representative of the breadth and the depth of our country,” he said, “and I believe that change represents the best of what’s possible in any democracy.

Mullen told the Class of 2010’s engineering science and technology graduates that their research on sensors and imaging systems will save lives and limbs by helping the military detect and defeat the most lethal threats it faces: roadside bombs and nuclear, chemical and biological attacks.

Mullen praised agriculture, education and health sciences graduates for their commitment to “the most fundamental aspects of global security.”

The admiral gave the graduating class some advice that he said will help them turn challenges into opportunities in whatever careers they pursue.

“Speak truth to power,” he said. “Listen to your juniors. See problems through other people’s eyes, and never be afraid to admit your mistakes.”

Before the commencement ceremony, the chairman met with Florida A&M’s Army ROTC cadets and Navy ROTC midshipmen, and with James Ammons, president of the university.

At the ceremony Mullen administered the oath of office to 12 ROTC graduates who will serve in the Army, Navy and Marine Corps.

He noted that Florida A&M’s ROTC programs have turned out more than 1,500 military officers, including Army 1st Lt. Randolph Powell from the Class of 2008, who is finishing a year-long tour in Iraq, where he has helped to build structures and security stations that will help the Iraqi army provide for their own country’s defense.

Ammons conferred an honorary doctorate of humane letters on Mullen.

Roughead Tells FAMU ensigns leadership is important

Donning their military uniforms, members of the the FAMU Navy ROTC program stood proudly as they took the official oath of office, administered by Admiral Gary Roughead, U.S. Chief of Naval Operations, April 30, at the Florida Capitol.

“The importance for our new officers in having the opportunity of being commissioned by the Chief of Naval Operations, the highest ranking Navy official in the country, cannot be overstated,” said Col. Elvis E. Blumenstock, USMC, FAMU NROTC Commanding Officer. “It drives home the importance of the oath they are taking in service to our country, our constitution, our fellow citizens and our comrades.”

Roughead told the students that their leadership is highly important to the safety of the nation.

“There is no greater responsibility than that of leadership,” Roughead said. “You must always stand for what is right. Do your work with passion.”

He told the group that they will be joining the ranks of many dedicated men and women who came before them.

“Today as you join them, you become a part of them—a part of a tradition,” he said. “You must combine what you have learned here with what they have learned out there.”

Roughead was the first of two high-ranking military officials to make their way onto campus this weekend. Admiral Mike Mullen, the 17th chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff and principal military advisor to the U.S. president, served as the 9 a.m. commencement speaker on May 1.

Anthony Gantt, a second Lieutenant who enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in September 1999, said he feels honored to be commissioned by Roughead and Mullen.

“The emotions I’m feeling are unexplainable,” said Gantt, who was at the commissioning ceremony with his family and friends. “It is an exciting time. I’m happy that both of them are coming to our institution.”

FAMU, FSU build home for Habitat for Humanity

FAMU President James H. Ammons and Florida State University President Eric J. Barron gave a helping hand during the “Historic Habitat for Humanity (HFH) Tallahassee Co-Build” sponsored by FSU and FAMU Campus Chapter HFH Co-Build.

The two universities joined forces to work on a home for Lateshee Daniels, who said she was thankful for the assistance by the two schools.

“It feels great to see them working together,” said Daniels, who left early to attend a homeowners’ workshop that is required through the program. “It’s just awesome.”

Ammons, along with his wife, Judy Ammons, Provost Cynthia Hughes Harris, FAMU HFH advisor Phyllis Reaves and nearly 20 FAMU students, worked on the landscaping for Daniels’ homes.

“It was important to come out to not only complete the house we’ve committed to build, but to complete our mission with Habitat for Humanity,” said Reaves. “It warms our heart to see that Dr. Ammons is just as active of a participant as we have been in the past. It is good to know that we have his support in all of our efforts. It is really just a blessing to have such a supportive administrator.”

Reaves presented Ammons with his own hard hat.

Alicia Alexander, a FAMU pre-pharmacy student from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said she enjoys participating in the build.

“It’s important to give back to the community,” Alexander said. “With this project, you get to leave a piece of yourself with somebody who really needs your help and benefits from you giving that time. I didn’t know Dr. Ammons was going to be here. It’s great to work hand-in-hand with him.”