Taylor talks Rattlers at MEAC Media Day

FAMU Head Coach Joe Taylor, speaking at the MEAC Football Media Day Luncheon, gave his evaluation of his Rattlers for the coming season. "[Austin] Trainor is our guy," he said in reference to speculation about FAMU's starting quarterback. "Tyler Bass and Dayne James are expected to contribute when needed, but at this point Trainor is undefeated," Taylor said.

Bass is a highly touted transfer from the University of Memphis and James is a true freshman from Ft. Lauderdale's Boyd-Anderson High School.

Earlier, several Rattlers were named to the pre-season All-MEAC football--- Offensive lineman Robert Hartley and punter Brandon Holdren made the first team; while five Rattlers made the second team.

Holcomb injured, may be out for season

Curtis Holcomb, a former FAMU football standout, is on crutches after rupturing his left Achilles tendon during a conditioning test with the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday. The injury is likely to sideline him for his rookie season.

The former FAMU cornerback was set to compete for special teams positions as well as a spot in the defensive backfield.

The 49ers selected Holcomb in the seventh round of the NFL Draft.

In other news, Holcomb’s former teammate Philip Sylvester has reported for duty in Atlanta and received his official spot (pictured below) in the Falcons locker room. Check out the photo, courtesy of FAMU Athletics, after the jump.

Last Chance to Participate in our Reader Survey

If you haven't already, please take a moment to participate in our Rattler Nation Reader Survey.  It has been a little over four years since Rattler Nation last conducted a reader survey, and frankly, we're long overdue. This survey is designed to help us improve the blog and make it more informative. We hope you will participate.

Any feedback, suggestions, dreams or ideas that you have are welcome. While we can’t promise to respond to each comment or put every suggestion into place we will make a commitment to read all you have to say. All we ask in return is that you be honest, courteous and constructive with your feedback.

Rattler Nation is a project that we pour a lot of time and effort into – as a result sometimes criticism can be a little difficult to hear – however we think it’s vital to take it all on board if this is to continue to be a valuable resource.

Having said that, here's our 2011 Rattler Nation Reader Survey.

We've also added a message board to the poll for you to give us any additional feedback not covered in the poll. You can access it at Rattler Nation Survey Message Board

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

New Beginnings receives $10,000 Home Depot grant

FAMU's New Beginnings Educational Research Center for Child Development (NB-ERCCD) has received $10,000 from The Home Depot’s “Retool Your School” initiative.

The competition, among historically black colleges and universities, was part of The Home Depot’s long-standing efforts in support of the black community. Grants were awarded to colleges and universities for school improvement projects. The panel of judges for this competition also scored and heavily weighted the narrative section of all the applicants.

NB-ERCCD intends to use The Home Depot’s funding to install outdoor playground lighting for the evening care program, enhance the outdoor learning environment and make interior building repairs and upgrades that promote energy conservation.

Athletics counting on enrollment growth, sales, and private dollars to plug deficit

The FAMU Department of Athletics has unveiled a five-year plan to reduce its operating deficit by 85 percent. It counts on enrollment growth, increased sales, fundraising, and spending reductions to get the job done.

Enrollment Growth
One of the most important sources of revenue is enrollment growth. FAMU continues to make steady progress toward its goal of reaching the 15,000 student mark. The swelling student numbers are bringing more student fee money into the athletic department’s coffers. Student fee collections currently make up 58 percent of athletic revenues.

Athletics collected $5.1M in student fees during the fiscal year ending (FYE) 2011. It anticipates a $480,782.17 increase as a result of enrollment growth over the next five years, for a total of $5.6M by FYE 2016.

The department is not banking on any increases in the student athletic fee rate (which it does not control). State law requires student athletic fee rate hikes to be approved by a committee appointed jointly by the university president and student body president.

Sales
Athletic officials claim ticket sales are up for 2011-2012 following FAMU’s strong football season and the hiring of Clemon Johnson as the new men’s basketball coach, though the department won't (can't) say by how much. Ticket, concession, advertising, and licensed merchandise sales are expected to continue climbing. Sales currently comprise 40 percent of athletic revenues.

Wealth gap widens between whites and everybody else

According to U.S. Census data analyzed by the Pew Research Center, the media net worth of a white family now stands at 20 times that of a Black family and 18 times that of a Hispanic family, roughly twice the gap that existed in 1984. The average wealth of white U.S. households in 2009 was $113,149, compared with $6,325 for Hispanics and $5,677 for African Americans.

Here's why according to the Pew researcher Rakesh Kochhar:

"The bursting of the housing bubble in the great recession has been much harder on minority households than on white households. White households have been more diversified -- they are more likely to own stocks and bonds."

Between 2005 and 2009, the median net worth of Hispanic households dropped by 66 percent and that of black households fell by 53 percent, according to the report. In contrast, the median net worth of white households dropped by only 16 percent.

“The lopsided wealth ratios are the largest since the government began publishing such data a quarter century ago,” said the report, “Wealth Gaps Rise to Record Highs Between Whites, Blacks and Hispanics.”

In non-racial financial news, between 2005 and 2009 the wealthiest 10% of households went from owning 49% to 56% of American wealth.

Sylvester signs with Falcons

FAMU's fourth leading rusher of all-time, Philip Sylvester, has been invited to the Atlanta Falcons camp as a free agent after enduring the delay of the lockout. Sylvester, finished his career with 2,998 yards rushing, carrying the Rattlers on his back, with six consecutive 100-yard games to spark a six-game winning streak to end the 2010 season.

Sylvester said, "I feel great to have another opportunity to get on the field and represent FAMU, my city and my county. My agent called me around 9:30 p.m last night and then a representative from the Falcons called this morning. I'm packing and getting things in order to leave."

"Philip will go down in history as one of the top running backs to come through this storied program," FAMU Head Coach Joe Taylor said.

Holcomb settles in in San Francisco 
Meanwhile, on the "left coast" former FAMU cornerback Curtis Holcomb, the 250th overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft in ready to get settled in as a San Francisco 49er.   With the NFL lockout over, Holcomb was able to set foot in the 49ers locker room and see his new locker. You can see it after the jump.

Godwin to keynote commencement

FAMU alumna and CBS News Senior Producer Kim Godwin will be the keynote speaker for FAMU’s 2011 Summer Commencement. The ceremony is scheduled for Friday, August 5 at 6 p.m. in the Alfred L. Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium.

Doors will open for the general public at 5 p.m. and the line of march will commence at 5:30 p.m.

Godwin joined CBS News as senior producer in April 2007. In her current role on the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley, she is exclusively in charge of planning future CBS News editorial coverage of day-to-day and major news events, both domestically and internationally, including most recently, the launch of the final Shuttle mission from Kennedy Space Center. In her previous role on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, Godwin was in charge of domestic news, overseeing editorial coverage and story production for all CBS bureaus in the United States, excluding Washington, D.C.

Recently, Godwin received a 2010 Emmy Award for “Outstanding Business and Economic Reporting in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast” for her groundbreaking series “Financial Family Tree.” The unique series provided viewers with an in-depth, analytical look at the immediate and long-term ripple effects of the recession.

Prior to CBS News, she worked at WCBS-TV as the assistant news director. At WCBS-TV, Godwin was second in charge of more than 200 staff members, oversaw day-to-day editorial direction and newscast production, and hired all new producers and writers for the station. She also directed and managed news internships and apprentice programs.

Before working at WCBS-TV, Godwin served as interim director for the Division of Journalism in FAMU’s School of Journalism and Graphic Communication. In that role, while directing the academic programs of the school, she also helped in planning the design of the current journalism facility, which includes two television studios and a multimedia newsroom.

Prior to FAMU, Godwin served as vice president and news director of KNBC-TV in Los Angeles, and vice president of News Operations for NBC Television Stations for Atlanta and New York. Prior to those appointments, she was vice president and news director of KXAS-TV in Dallas; news director for the Duopoly at WOIO-CBS 19 and WUAB-UPN 43 in Cleveland, Ohio; assistant news director for WCAU-TV in Philadelphia; executive producer at WNBC-TV in New York; news producer for WTAE-TV, Pittsburgh, Penn.; anchor, investigative reporter and producer for WPTV-TV, West Palm Beach, Fla.; and executive producer of WTXL-TV in Tallahassee.

Godwin began her career as a midday disc jockey and evening news anchor for WAMF-AM at FAMU, and moved on to be a news writer for the morning drive at WTNT-AM in Tallahassee.

She is the recipient of two New York Association of Black Journalists Awards for producing “Conquering Cancer” and “The Changing Face of AIDS.” She also received an Emmy nomination for “Conquering Cancer.” In her prestigious career, she has won numerous awards for excellence in journalism, including a Los Angeles area Emmy for Investigative Journalism for the report “One Gun,” in which one handgun was linked to multiple violent and deadly crimes.

Godwin was born in Panama City, Fla. but grew up in Queens, New York. She graduated from FAMU with a bachelor of science degree in broadcast journalism. Godwin currently resides in New York City and in the Poconos, Penn. with her two children Kimberly and Kirsten.

Photo: Godwin at the FAMU School of Journalism and Graphic Communication 35th Anniversary during Homecoming 2009.

Sampson, Young renovations in high gear

Major renovations are underway at Sampson and Young Halls.

The two dormitories are getting new electrical systems, piping and plumbing, fire doors, and fire sprinklers. They will also be remodeled with better heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.

Sampson (1938) and Young (1929) Halls were both built during the Great Depression. FAMU closed the two dormitories in 2003 due to various building code violations.

On September 19, 2010, Rattler Nation broke the news that FAMU had received a $700,000 federal grant to help renovate Sampson. The university has secured bonds to cover the rest of the costs associated with bringing Sampson and Young up to code.

University officials hope to re-open the dormitories as soon as Fall 2011. The two halls will add 208 beds to campus. FAMU’s housing department currently has a total of 2,484 beds.

Former Vice-President of Student Affairs Roland H. Gaines and current Vice-President for Student Affairs William E. Hudson, Jr. have both stated that the expansion of on-campus housing will help improve FAMU’s six-year graduation rate. Campus housing helps students save money and afford more credit hours.

FAMU researcher receives patent to treat cancers

Nazarius Saah Lamango, an associate professor of medicinal chemistry in the FAMU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, received a patent to treat cancers using compounds that block the activity of a unique enzyme. The activity of this enzyme is elevated in some tumors. Specifically, inhibiting the excess amounts of this enzyme would diminish its ability to process the target protein into the forms that promote tumor cell growth.

Lamango further explains how this patent can benefit society.

“The patent describes compounds that can be used to inhibit the activity of an enzyme that we have found to be abnormally high in the tumors of some patients,” said Lamango. “By being able to use these compounds to bring the abnormally high enzyme activities in the tumors down to normal physiological levels, their ability to spur tumor growth will also be inhibited. When further developed into drugs, these compounds will constitute a new class of anticancer drugs with a novel mechanism of action.”

Lamango’s work was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH is the agency of the U.S. Federal Government tasked with managing the biomedical research budget.

Football season kicks off with Fan Appreciation Day

The Rattler Football Team will hold its annual Media Day and Fan Appreciation Day on Saturday, August 13 at the Alfred Lawson, Jr., Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The FAMU Football players and coaching staff will available to the media from 2p.m. to 4 p.m.

Then the doors will open to the public at 4 p.m. for 2011 FAMU Football Fan Appreciation Day. Fans, Family and Alumni will be able to mingle with their favorite Rattler Football player or coach as well get their 2011 FAMU Football poster autographed.

FAMU will kickoff their 2011 season as they will host Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference member Fort Valley State University on Saturday, Sept. 3 at Bragg Memorial Stadium in a 6 p.m. contest.

FAMU to host "C.E.O. Experience"

The former president of Motown Records joined FAMU officials during a press conference to announce the Creativity Education Opportunity (C.E.O.) Experience, a music and entertainment industry conference scheduled for November 3 and November 4, 2011 on the campus.

The conference will offer new artists, producers, journalists, graphic designers, public relations and business students direct access and inside information on launching and sustaining a successful career in the music and entertainment business.

“As Florida A&M University moves toward its 2020 vision with courage, we are charged with providing pedagogical experiences that appeal to the interests of the current and future FAMUans,” said FAMU President James H. Ammons. “This new Music Industry Studies program addresses the industry’s need for technically qualified, socially and liberally educated individuals who are trained to work in interdisciplinary settings in a fast-changing global workplace.”

At the press conference, music industry executive Al Bell announced plans to establish a partnership with the university, which will provide resources for the FAMU Institute for Hip Hop and Music Industry Studies as well as scholarships for students pursuing careers in music and entertainment industries.

Bell will be the keynote speaker for the C.E.O. Experience conference. Bell, who started in the entertainment business as a radio broadcaster, became owner and chairman of Stax Records and former president of Motown Records. He is recognized as one of the “Most Influential African Americans in Radio” and was recently honored with the Grammy Trustee Award for his significant contributions to the recording field.

“History will record that Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University embraced, with informed intellectual commitment, the broad and diverse asset value of America’s hip-hop culture, its music, and it unparalleled multi-billion dollar music, fashion, technological, and diverse business industries,” said Bell. “And history will show that Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University educated – for the positive future benefit of America – the music, social, cultural, educational, economic, political, and business leaders of tomorrow. I wholeheartedly applaud President James Ammons and FAMU for having the vision and the courage to address today’s dire and critical leadership needs of our American society, American culture and the American music industry.”

Hudson appointed permanent VPSA

After a lengthy search FAMU President James Ammons has chosen William E. Hudson Jr.  to serve as vice president for Student Affairs. Hudson had served as interim vice-president since the retirement former Vice-President Roland Gaines.

“I am confident that Dr. Hudson will provide strong leadership for the Division of Student Affairs,” said Ammons. “He has the experience and the background in higher education to help us achieve a level of excellence in the area of student support services. We look forward to him implementing initiatives that will help our students to become well-rounded citizens and leaders.”

“I am very honored in by my selection,” said Hudson. “It has always been my desire to give back to the institution that assisted in my development.  I am passionate about helping students and parents of this generation.”

Hudson said some of his goals are to develop university-wide collaborations to improve customer service by leveraging technology, improving retention, progression and graduation rates. He also plans to continue the strong tradition of developing leaders and promoting positive critical thinking in students.

FAMU law prof: Anthony in danger

FAMU College of Law Professor Karin Moore attended much of the Casey Anthony trial and served as one of the national media’s go-to persons for legal analysis on the case. Now that Anthony has been acquitted of charges that she murdered her two-year-old daughter, Moore thinks the former defendant faces danger. Anthony was released from the Orange County Jail in Orlando at 12:14 a.m. on Sunday, July 17, 2011.

“I'd hear the public talking in the bathroom or in the hall about what they'd love to do to Casey Anthony,” Moore told TIME Magazine. “I understand the anger. I just don't understand the bloodlust.”

Moore has also been interviewed and quoted by CNN, ABC News, MSNBC, USA Today, and People Magazine regarding the Anthony case.

At the FAMU law school, Moore directs the Defense and Death Penalty Clinics. Moore was previously a criminal defense attorney for 22 years in Florida. She tried more than 100 jury trials including nine homicide trials, two of which were death penalty cases.

Moore and FAMU Law Dean LeRoy Pernell have worked to use the Anthony trial as a learning opportunity for students. Last month, the two were featured on a Central Florida News 13 segment produced by Reporter Tiffany Green, a FAMU alumna. Pernell, who has a background in Criminal Law, discussed how the proceedings allowed students to see the law in action, while Moore, an expert in Death Penalty and Evidence, responded to the forensic science introduced in the trial.

Packer, Harvey bringing best-selling book to big screen

FAMU alumni Will Packer and Rob Hardy have begun production of the movie, “Think Like a Man,” a comedic adaptation of actor and comedian Steve Harvey’s New York Times best-selling book, Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man.

In the film, four interconnected and diverse friends have their love lives shaken up after the women they are pursuing buy Harvey’s book and start taking his advice to heart. When the band of brothers find out that they have been betrayed by one of their own, they conspire to use the book’s teachings to turn the tables.

The film stars Kevin Hart, Chris Brown, Michael Ealy, Jerry Ferrara, Meagan Good Regina Hall, Taraji P. Henson, Gabrielle Union and others.

“Steve Harvey has established himself as one of the funniest and most insightful voices in America,” Packer said. “That coupled with an incredible cast makes this an exciting venture.”

“Think Like A Man” is scheduled for release on April 6, 2012.

Packer and Hardy started their production company, Rainforest Films, in 1994. One of their most successful projects, “Stomp the Yard,” grossed more than $65 million and held the No. 1 position at the box office for two weekends in January of 2007. Later that year, the company produced “This Christmas,” which made $50 million. The success of both projects landed the duo amongst the “Top 25 Entertainers and Moneymakers” in Black Enterprise magazine in 2008.

Crestview construction to begin soon

FAMU officials have confirmed that construction is about to begin on the university's Crestview Education Center. A chain link fence now surrounds the center's future home in the downtown Alatex building.

FAMU Director of Governmental Relations Tola Thompson told the Crestview News Bulletin that the university recently hired a construction manager and submitted building plans to the City of Crestview.

The project will kick off by the end of July and take ten to 11 months to complete. FAMU expects to begin classes in the Alatex building in Fall 2012.

Former state Sen. Durell Peaden (R-Crestview) steered a total of $11M into FAMU’s budget during the 2009 and 2010 legislative sessions in order to cover the start-up costs for the Crestview Education Center. He also secured $1.5M in recurring money in 2010 for FAMU to use for salaries and operational costs at the center. The current Florida budget grants FAMU another $1.5M to continue funding the campus.

The Crestview center will be FAMU Pharmacy’s first degree-granting satellite location. The pharmacy school’s campuses in Jacksonville, Miami, and Tampa do not offer full degrees. They are used as clinical training divisions for advanced students.

Jennings treating Ammons’ bonus very differently from Castell’s

Heads are shaking all over Rattler Country in response to the fact that Board of Trustees Chairman Bill Jennings has taken a position on President James H. Ammons’ bonus that is very different from the one he took on former Interim President Castell V. Bryant’s.

At the September 23, 2010 board meeting, Jennings confirmed that he planned to meet with Ammons to discuss “restructuring” the bonus clause of the president’s contract. Jennings never asked for any changes in Castell’s bonus clause despite everything she did to nearly run FAMU into the ground.

Jennings negotiates bonus clause for Ammons

Jennings negotiated the bonus clause in Ammons’s contract back in 2007. The clause states: “Based upon his achievement of annual goals and objectives…Dr. Ammons shall receive an annual performance bonus. It is intended that said annual performance bonus shall be in the range of 25% to 35% of the annual base salary.”

Ammons’ base salary is $325,000 per year. In 2009, he accepted a 35 percent, or $113,750 bonus. It was based on his achievement of objectives such as restoring clean financial statement audits to FAMU and getting the university off probation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Ammons gave 50 percent of his bonus to the FAMU National Alumni Association.

The president accepted a $81,000 or 25 percent bonus in 2010. That bonus came six months after Ammons led FAMU to a ten-year reaffirmation of its SACS accreditation. In voting to award the bonus at the minimum 25 percent level, trustees said the decision was not a criticism of Ammons’ performance but a response to the tough economic situation that FAMU faces.

Jennings stays quiet about Castell's bonus

Jennings was absent from the board meeting on December 1, 2005 when trustees voted to give Castell a $35,000 bonus and a contract extension of two years. But he never publicly raised any objection to those decisions. On March 2, 2006, Jennings actually made the formal request for trustees to grant Castell a $50,000 raise, which was approved. The pay increase took Castell’s total salary up to $300,000.

The $35,000 bonus and raise $50,000 raise, totaling $85,000, were primarily based on Castell’s claim that she created an $8M surplus in 2004-2005 and straightened out the financial books.

Moore releases 2011 track/cross country signees

FAMU Head Women's Track and Cross Country Coach Darlene Moore recently announced her signees for the class of 2011. The Lady Rattlers are coming off of a much-improved season, placing fifth in the conference championship, which is up five spots from the previous year.

"In my second recruiting class, we concentrated on filling the voids from last year's season. This class was tailored to improve our team performances in the MEAC Championships. Not only will these ladies help us athletically, but our continued effort to excel academically, in effect raising our APR, which is so critical. These young ladies come from winning programs and we expect nothing less from them here at FAMU," Moore said.

Five Lady Rattlers make all-academic bowling team

The National Ten Pin Coaches Association, has named five members of the FAMU Lady Rattlers' bowling team to it's All-Academic team. Jazmin Bingham, Kiana Cogdell, Gina Davis, Lauren Mathews and Samantha Mighty, were all bestowed the honor.

Coach Sheila Martin, who doubles as the FAMU athletic department's compliance coordinator for finance, pushed her team to do everything necessary to be successful in the classroom.

Proportionately, that represents 55% of the total team of nine players. All members of the bowling team maintained a 3.0 or better grade point average. In order to make the NTPCA All-Academic team, they needed to achieve a 3.4 minimum GPA. Martin's squad also won the award for having the highest team GPA in FAMU Athletics.

Martin was ecstatic to learn about her team's academic success.

"It's an honor, knowing that they accomplishing the on and off the field concept of being a student first. The academic support of having the proper advisors to put their schedules in tact and maintaining a mandatory study hall for road games was key to this accomplishment. Being diligent in making sure that they turned in all of their excuses when we returned from road trips was essential as well. Our advisor, Travis Green, was instrumental in keeping us on track and assisting as we tracked our team's progress through the semester. It required remaining focused to prevent them from getting burned out, but maintaining their level of performance on and off the court," Martin said.

Hodge to emphasize “R” in DRS

This week, new FAMU Developmental Research School (DRS) Superintendent Patricia C. Hodge shared her vision for taking Baby Rattler education to the next level. One of her biggest priorities will be increasing research opportunities for FAMU faculty and FAMU DRS faculty.

According to the Sidney Martin Developmental Research School Act of 1991, “each lab school shall emphasize mathematics, science, computer science, and foreign languages. The primary goal of a lab school is to enhance instruction and research in such specialized subjects by using the resources available on a state university campus, while also providing an education in nonspecialized subjects.”

The act encourages university professors to work collaboratively with DRS faculty to accomplish those goals. There are numerous opportunities for FAMU DRS to develop closer partnerships with the university’s College of Education, College of Arts & Sciences, and College of Engineering.

“I am very excited about the opportunity,” said Hodge, a Pompano Beach native. “This school has a long history of educating African-American students and I am excited to be a part of that.”

Hodge added that she also wants to expand FAMU DRS’ participation in dual enrollment, increase advanced placement offerings, and add more early education programs for the school’s pre-K and elementary students.

Prior to serving as the principal for Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Schools, Hodge worked as the assistant principal for the school system. While working with Lloyd Estates Elementary School in Broward County, her major functions were administration, supervision, fiscal management, grant writing and parent and community involvement.

Under her leadership from 2002-2004, FAU Schools achieved an A school rating, achieved AYP annually and created the Targeted Assistance Program, which helped students who were having difficulties with their academics. She also supervised all expenditures, authored various competitive grants and served as the interim chair of transition for the School Advisory Board.

Obama appoints Meek to ambassadorship

U.S. President Barack Obama has nominated FAMU alumnus Kendrick B. Meek to be one of three United States representatives to the Sixty-sixth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. The appointment will make Meek an ambassador in the U.S. Department of State.

“These fine public servants both bring a depth of experience and tremendous dedication to their new roles. Our nation will be well-served by these men and women, and I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come,” Obama said of Meek and other recent nominees.

If confirmed by the Senate, Meek will become part of the leadership team of the U.S. Permanent Mission to the United Nations (USUN) led by Ambassador Susan E. Rice.

USUN, founded in 1947, serves as the United States’ delegation to the United Nations. USUN is responsible for carrying out the nation’s participation in the world body. Its New York office is staffed by 150 people who represent the United States’ political, economic and social, legal, military, public diplomacy and management interests at the UN.

Meek is president of KBM Solutions LLC, a consulting firm focusing on disaster recovery, humanitarian assistance, emergency medical relief, and Chairman of the Editorial Board of Politic365, an online news source for policy and politics affecting communities of color. From 2002 to 2010, he represented the 17th Congressional District of Florida.

Obama endorsed Meek’s bid to become the junior U.S. Senator from Florida in 2010 and released a radio advertisement to support him.

Disloyalty to DRS is disloyalty to FAMU

The bright moment of the new FAMU Developmental Research School (DRS) superintendent being introduced at last month’s Board of Trustees meeting was muddied by the sight of Chairman Bill Jennings clapping his hands as if he is an actual supporter of the K-12 program. Over the past several years Jennings has shown himself to be anything but a friend of the Baby Rattlers.

June 30, 2010 was the date that DRS was saved from Jennings and the Holmes brothers. Ronald Holmes finally resigned from the superintendent position on that day after years of taking the school backwards.

Ronald let the DRS school grade on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) slide backwards from a “C” in 2008 to a “D” in 2009. The grade finally returned to a “C” in 2010. Ronald’s failure to recruit enough students to satisfy the demands of the 2009-2010 year’s budget threatened nine teaching jobs before FAMU President James H. Ammons  dipped into university coffers to provide a $425,802 bailout to deficits at the school.

On February 22, 2010 Rattler Nation reported that the BOT led by Jennings was complicit in protecting Ronald.

Jennings and R.B. Holmes (Ronald’s older brother) had a history of scratching each others’ backs. At the May 24, 2007 meeting R.B. nominated Jennings for the board chairmanship. Jennings then supported R.B. for vice-chairman.

FAMU occupational therapy’s overall licensure rate just under 90%

FAMU’s occupational therapy program was placed on probation by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) on April 17, 2011 for failing to meet the required 70 percent first-time passage rate benchmark on the national licensure examination despite the fact that its overall passage rate is about 90 percent.

ACOTE only counts first-time passage rates on the National Certification Examination for Occupational Therapists for the purpose of accreditation.

For example, six out of FAMU’s 14 occupational therapy graduates passed the certification exam during their first try between 2007 and 2009. That gave the program a 42 percent first-try passage rate for those years. Most of those students did go on to pass the exam when they retook the test.

FAMU is currently maintaining a 50 percent first-try passage rate. The overwhelming majority of its students continue to pass the test during retakes.

According to ACOTE, “probationary accreditation is usually limited to 1 year. It may not extend beyond 2 years.”

FAMU established its Division of Occupational Therapy in the School of Allied Health back in 1989. It awarded more than 200 baccalaureate degrees up to 2006, after which it was transitioned into a master’s level program. The program’s website states that occupational therapy practitioners “work with persons of all ages and cultural backgrounds whose independence has been impacted by physical and/or mental injury or illness, developmental or learning disabilities, or adverse environmental conditions.”

The Division of Occupational Therapy is not the only FAMU program that has struggled with its first-time passage rates on critical exams but still maintained a very high overall passage rate.

Many FAMU College of Law students take the bar exam two to three times before passing. The law school’s overall passage rate is close to 80 percent. A 75 percent overall bar passage rate meets the requirements of the American Bar Association (ABA). The ABA counts overall passage rates for the purpose of accreditation, unlike ACOTE.

Kante and Clark dominate NCAA ITA event at FSU

Coach Carl Goodman has reason to smile, as his 2011-2012 edition of the Rattler tennis team looks to be off to a good start. First team All-MEAC star Levan Clark and highly-touted junior college national champion Salif Kante took home both the singles and doublestitles at the Southeastern NCAA ITA Summer Circuit Tournament this weekend at Florida State.

Clark and Kante took the doubles title with an 8-3 dominating performance, despite this being their first full-fledged tournament playing together. Kante, would later best Clark in the championship match of the singles event. Kante, went (6-2, 7-6,7-3), in defeating Clark for the singles title.

License plate sales generate $519,550 for FAMU

The Florida Division of Motor Vehicles records show that FAMU tag sales produced a total of $519,550 in sales during 2009-2010. The University of Florida tag produced $2,925,750 in total sales, the top amount in the entire state.  Overall, tag sales generated $6.3M for the entire State University System of Florida.

The FAMU tag outsold a number of notable competitors that included the Florida Marlins ($69,425), Orlando Magic ($104,250), Jacksonville Jaguars ($270,250), University of Central Florida ($374,575), University of South Florida ($412,069), and Miami Heat ($504,425).

The DMV sold 17,658 FAMU tags in 2010, 21,594 in 2009, 20,961 in 2008, 20,659 in 2007, 20,616 in 2006, and 20,356 in 2005.

A FAMU tag costs an additional $25.00 on top of the regular auto registration fees. The money from tag sales goes to “academic enhancement” at the university.

FAMU has participated in the specialty license plate program since 1987.

Rattlers visit youth in the community

Several student-athletes from the Rattler basketball and football teams participated in a young male lock-in this weekend at the Terrence H. Fregly Community Center in the Macon Community in Tallahassee. The event was hosted by the Tallahassee Housing Authority, and coordinated by Anthony Davis, Human Resources Director for THA. The event drew over 50 kids, who spent Friday evening thru Saturday afternoon in the facility, for a weekend of fun and encouragement.

On Friday evening, six members of the Rattler basketball squad totally embraced the opportunity to play along with and coach the youth, in a tournament that was the highlight event of the weekend. Amin Stevens, Chris Watson, Isaac Brown, Avery Moore, Brandon Hosley and Yannick Crowder drafted their teams from the audience in a selection process and played a "Round Robin" tournament on the Fregly Center court.

Each basketball player introduced themselves and told the kids their hometowns and majors. The players then gave advice to the youth, emphasizing the difference in being a kid in a community center and a college athlete is a dedication to a cause. The players certainly understood their purpose for being at the event.

Local favorite, Avery Moore, garnered the most applause at his introduction because the young men followed his success at Rickards High School. "What we're trying to do is give back to our community. There are kids out there that don't have someone like a big brother to help guide them or somebody to look up to. We just came out to support the effort of the housing authority. I understand that kids look at me as a role model, but I want to show them that I came from the same place as they did. I just worked my way up because I had people who looked out for me as I was coming up," said Moore.

A day in the life of FAMU's SBI dean

NSF shines spotlight on FAMU's CREST program

The National Science Foundation (NSF) bragged on the success of FAMU's Center of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) in a recent edition of the U.S. News & World Report.

Back in 2006, NSF awarded FAMU a $5,165,603 five-year grant to establish CREST. CREST focuses on education and research in the field of astrophysics. A central objective of the center is to increase the number of African-Americans who earn PhDs in Astrophysics and Astrochemistry. The Center supports collaboration between the FAMU physics and chemistry departments and will facilitate the startup of a PhD program in Chemistry.

The principal investigator for CREST is Charles Weatherford (pictured), chairman of the FAMU Department of Physics.

FAMU's current CREST grant expires this year. But this positive article written by NSF's own staff shows that CREST probably has a good chance of being renewed. If this happens, it will be outstanding news for the Chemistry PhD development process.

From the article: "Center for Research Excellence Builds Competitiveness"

Few African Americans earn doctorates in physics. The class of 2007, for example, produced only 13 nationwide, according to the American Institute of Physics. Remarkably, five of them came from Florida A&M University (FAMU), whose program only began in 2001.

FAMU's endowment rebounds

The FAMU Foundation bounced back from its sharp decline last fiscal year, increasing from $89M in 2009 to $96M in 2010 for a total gain of $7M.

The foundation’s net assets were hurt by the national recession. They dropped from $114M in 2008 to $89M in 2009 for a loss of approximately $25M.

FAMU’s endowment currently ranks sixth in the State University System of Florida.

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

FAMU Foundation Net Assets

2005: $94M
2006: $104M
2007: $119M
2008: $114M
2009: $89M
2010: $96M

Sources: FAMU IPEDS Reports, Chronicle of Higher Education, and Florida Trend.

Ammons confident FAMU will reclaim black baccalaureate crown from NCA & T

FAMU President James H. Ammons is not happy that his alma mater came in behind North Carolina A&T in awarding baccalaureates to black students. But he recently told university trustees that he is confident FAMU will top A&T again soon.

Data published by Diverse Issues in Higher Education shows that NCA&T is now the #1 not-for-profit producer of blacks with baccalaureate degrees. It graduated 1,253 in 2009-2010 to FAMU’s 1,165.

The for-profit University of Phoenix-Online Campus was #1 overall in awarding baccalaureates to blacks with 2,181.

FAMU held the top overall spot in graduating blacks with baccalaureate degrees for 12 years from 1995 until 2007. In 2008 and 2009, FAMU was still #1 among not-for-profit colleges and universities.

The Class of 2008 was large because it was recruited by former President Frederick S. Humphries. The Class of 2009 was recruited by former President Fred Gainous. With the exception of the focus on National Achievement Scholars, Gainous followed Humphries’ example in building enrollment.

The enrollment numbers for the Class of 2010 recruited by Gainous were not quite enough to edge out NCA&T.

FAMU alumnus makes history at Vanderbilt

FAMU alumnus Larry O. Rivers became the first African American to successfully defend a doctoral dissertation in Vanderbilt University’s Department of History. Rivers, who currently teaches history at Augusta State University in Augusta, Ga., recently returned to Nashville, Tenn. to participate in his graduate alma mater’s commencement ceremony.

“My FAMU education really helped me refine my skills as a researcher, writer and critical thinker,” Rivers said. “That solid foundation prepared me to excel in the rigorous environment of a top-level national research university.”

Larry’s parents watched proudly as he received his doctoral hood and crossed the stage. His mother, Betty H. Rivers, formerly worked in administrative positions for the City of Tallahassee and finished her career as business services manager for the Tallahassee Regional Airport. His father, Larry E. Rivers, taught history at FAMU and served as dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. He is now the president of Fort Valley State University. Larry also has one younger brother, Linjé, who is a legal counsel for the Florida Department of Financial Services.

Happy 4th of July

Humphries visits RATL campers

Last week, students in the Raising Agricultural and Technologically Literate Rattlers (RATL) summer camp got a chance to meet and chat with former FAMU President Frederick S. Humphries.

RATL is a pre-college program run by the College of Engineering, Science, Technology, and Agriculture (CESTA). It introduces high school students to CESTA's faculty, research facilities, and degree programs. The camp aims to inspire the students to pursue agricultural studies on The Hill.

7-on-7 tourney draws aspiring athletes

Four days of instruction to aspiring athletes ended on Thursday with the first-ever 7-on-7 tournament during the Joe Taylor era on the campus of FAMU.

The week started with three days of instruction for young football players at the inaugural Joe Taylor Football Camp at FAMU. Nearly 50 kids came and received instruction from the entire FAMU Rattlers football coaching staff. Ranging in age from 8-18, the players were treated to group instruction as well as individualized instruction.

Coach Joe Taylor was pleased that he and his staff began the camp. "You have to take your first step, and we stepped out on faith," Taylor said. He also said he was very pleased with the camp and confident that with the success of the first camp, coaches and players would flock to next year's edition.

On Thursday, six teams including a team from Alabama, FAMU DRS and Wakulla High School competed in the Round Robin tournament. Unfortunately, after some very exciting games to start the tournament, a severe thunderstorm caused the cancellation of the championship round. Wakulla and FAMU DRS were both poised to compete for the championship.

New DRS leader knows how to make the grade

At the June 30, 2011 Board of Trustees meeting FAMU President James H. Ammons and Provost Cynthia Hughes-Harris announced that Patricia C. Hodge will serve as the new superintendent of the FAMU Developmental Research School (DRS).

Hodge comes to DRS from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Schools, where she served as the assistant principal from 2004 to 2008 and as the principal/director for the past three years. During her tenure with FAU, the schools earned straight "A" grades on their Florida School Accountability Reports.

Before working at FAU, Hodge served as an assistant principal of the Broward County School System from 2002-2004.

Hodge received her B.A. in liberal arts from the University of Florida, an M.S. in library science from Atlanta University, a specialist certificate in education from FAU, and a Ph.D. in educational leadership from FAU.

July 1, 2011 will be Hodge's first day at FAMU DRS. She will make $110,000 per year and will hold a two-year contract.