Today's Tallahassee Democrat story by Bill Cotterell show's exactly how much we are missing former Democrat education beat writer Diane Hirth. Mrs. Hirth who has covered FAMU for the past 3 or more years would have been wise enough to see through Castell Bryant's misleading statements at yesterday's Board of Governor's task force meeting on FAMU's finances.
Once again, Mrs. Bryant paints herself as a casual observer, an innocent bystander, of FAMU's financial problems rather than the root cause that she is.
Here's Mr. Cotterell's story:
Riled-up Rattlers reliving Florida A&M University's "glory days" have hurt FAMU by striking out at changes needed to restore its reputation, the university's outgoing president said Friday.
Interim president Castell Bryant told a special Board of Governors task force that the institution needs "a culture of accountability and responsibility." She and Grace Ali, FAMU's chief financial officer, said several years of bad audits have created a reputation for lax administration that makes it hard to attract good managers.
Continue reading: Task Force meeting
It's shocking to read that 35% of FAMU students do not meet the statewide academic minimum. Should we consider downsizing the student body to shore up quality?
ReplyDeleteActually the article said 28%, not 35%.
ReplyDeleteI would suggest that this is likely a problem of poor recruitment of qualified students. The FAMU recruitment program has pretty much been shut down since 2001.
“Riled-up Rattlers” are not hurting FAMU, but the “ignominious days” of Casthell has hurt FAMU. No, we should not downsize. We need to recruit better qualified students. Casthell hurt the university by not recruiting good students. She just accepted the poor students who applied. Good riddance!
ReplyDeleteThat and her Corbin/KPMGG backed friends robbed the university, via contracts, of every thing that wasn't nailed down.
ReplyDeleteWell the stats are down from an aeverage incoming freshman class with a 3.12 average and an average SAT of 1040. To reach this level and now to have fallen back to where we are presently is unforgiveable.
ReplyDeleteWhat heck is the recruiting team doing?
Should we conclude that "Riled-up Rattlers" want to resist efforts to restore the reputation of the University. God knows that we need our reputation restored. The truth is that the present administration did not IMPROVE the reputation of the University. That's our complaint.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Bryant clearly told the faculty at the first campus wide meeting that she was not going to deal with any "BC", Before Castell. She was only interested with "AC", After Castell. Now every thing that comes out of her mouth concerning the problems of the University is BC, BC, BC.
Every one would agree that the University has problems. No one expected Mrs. Bryant to solve all the problems. But we did expect her to IMPROVE the situation or at the least she would be able to hold the line. Everybody agrees that things have GOTTEN WORST!
Whose fault is that things are WORST under her 2 and 1/2 years of so called leadership. Her answer is BC.
That we don't understand or refuse to acknowledge the comptetive changes and pressures that are continuing to take place in education is an insult to the FAMU COMMUNITY. The FAMU COMMUNITY IS NOT STUPID AND LOST IN A TIME FIX.
We know that FAMU need changes. We were fooled to think that you could do it. How we were fooled. You did nothing but created more problems.
The FAMU COMMUNITY will be gald to see you leave on July 1 or before. It is not because we do not want accountaability, responsibility, and competive changes. IT IS BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT YOU CAN NOT BRING IT ABOUT. PERIOD!
Oh, your comments about no other University has a BLOG spurring lies like FAMU was interesting. The RATTLER NATION came about during YOUR ADMINISTRATION. I WONDER WHY? THANK YOU RN.
GOD PLEASE HELP US! If we dont take the students who have the courage to even attempt to go to college, the students who actually think that even they can make, the students beat down by the continued and REAL racism of this great country then who? FSU?? Well of the black athletes at FSU 90% do not meet statewide academic minimums...should they downsize their athletic departments at FSU, UF, UCF ans USF? Why do we allow other people to make us continually question ourselves and what we do for ourselves!!!! We must continue to accept these students...I am one of these students and I am currently working on my Masters and looking forward to my PHD program. Thank you FAMU, thank you FAMU for accepting my mother when FSU wouldnt, my 80 year old aunt who FSU, nor Fl would accept, thank you FAMU!! The HILL of HOPE may GOD protect you! Beware of the Devil and his statistics....
ReplyDeleteThe simple fact is that several community colleges in the state, incliding some in Miami with large minpority enrollments, have students that are stronger than FAMU's. Why should the state of Florida continue to fund FAMU in excess of these community colleges? Expect to hear this argument. It is hispanic v. black/S. Florida v. N. Florida.
ReplyDeleteLET GET TO THE REAL MATTERS SHE WOULD EVEN RECRUIT ANY STUDENT WOW SHE WAS IN OFFICE GET IT! NOT STUDENTS NO SCHOOL THAT WAS THE PLAN.
ReplyDeleteTHE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS JEB BUSH AND CASTELL PLAN WAS TO TAKE THE WHOLE SCHOOL DOWN BEFORE HE LEFT OFFICE. NOW THAT HE IS GONE THE COVERS ARE OFF. LET'S GET SOME CREDITABILTY BACK TO OUR FAMU!
ReplyDeleteTAKE HER TO JAIL JAIL JAIL
THERE NO OTHER WAY TO PUT FAITH BACK IN OUR SCHOOL AND MAKE HER PAY BACK 39M SHE MESSED WITH CONSULTANT THAT DIDN'T DO A THING BUT THE SCHOOL IN WORST SHAPE.
AGAIN JAIL, JAIL, JAIL
From the Democrat's blog on the article in question:
ReplyDeleteBryant is quoted in this article as saying that FAMU "leads the State University System with a 28-percent rate in admitting first-time students who do not meet statewide academic standards." I've heard other sources put that rate at more than 40% for FAMU.
Why should FAMU, or any state university, admit ANY students who do not meet academic standards?
We have a community college system that accommodates such students and provides them with what used to be called remedial courses, to help them get qualified to be college students. Community colleges are cheaper, they do a far better job with remedial courses, and in most parts of the state students can live at home and commute to one.
It is time for FAMU to give up its halfway effort of trying to be a community college and focus on being a university. It is absurd to keep arguing that black students need to go to a black university in order to take remedial reading, math, and writing to make up for what they did not learn in high school.
Unqualified students do not need "the black experience." They need to take remedial courses at a nearby community college until they develop the skills and self-discipline to become college students.
I like how you put a question mark after Hard Work Ahead for FAMU. You seem to be suggesting that if a) we arrest and send to jail Bryant, and b) wait until July when Ammons is here it will be smooth sailing. You are going to have a wake up call come July, my friend. I don't see anything being easy for Ammons and he is going to have loads of opposition on this campus if he starts firing folks as he needs to do. Remember whagt happened to Bryant when she fired the incompetent faculty . . . . .
ReplyDeleteIt was an insult to me as a FAMU graduate to read the comments by Dr. Bryant to the BOG Task Force. I was moved to do what I have never done; send a message to this Board.
ReplyDeleteDr. Bryant has provided the worst leadership for the Institution in its history, in my opinion. She did not realize that no university can succeed if the president(interim or not) has disdain and disparages the alumini. She did not have wisdom to know that no university can succeed if the president(interim or not)disrespects and belittles the faculty. She did not have the management skills to recognize that no university succeeds when the president(interim or not)minimizes the worth of the staff and fails to recognize human values. She did not have the presence to understand that the students respond, both academically and socially, to the leadership exhibited by school administrators. She did not see the damage that she caused when she continually used the term "mess" to describe the FAMU environment and the one she was chosen to lead even before the unfavorable audits. She does not understand that attempting to poison the views of the BOG Task Force will not lead to a different view of her time in the President's chair. She did not realize that she would come to the end and not have any blames left and have to look in the mirror and face the obvious reality that she was a poor poor poor administrator. And finally, she does not realize that the BOG Task Force has nothing to worry about because the in-coming President is superior in his leadership skills to what we have been offered in the last 2 1/2 years and the alumni, faculty and students stand ready to move forward with him.
There is little that can be said now to change Dr. Bryant's legacy. Her focus should now be to do the right thing; GO GENTLY INTO THE GOOD NIGHT.
I'll say it again, we need a secure site. This is not all that productive with the devil stirring around in here.
ReplyDelete6:48 wrote: "I'll say it again, we need a secure site. This is not all that productive with the devil stirring around in here."
ReplyDeleteI could not disagree more. Here at FAMU, we have skulked around far too long and hidden from our problems.
It is time for open discussion, no matter who listens.
Real strength comes from facing your problems and dealing with them, not from pretending not to have problems, or from cutting deals in secret to make those problems go away for a while.
Nothing will "improve the image" of FAMU quicker than for FAMU to openly identify its problems, openly discuss them, and openly solve them.
Nothing will "improve the image" of FAMU quicker than for FAMU to openly identify its problems, openly discuss them, and openly solve them.
ReplyDeleteYes, and here is the problem with most FAMU alumni. Problem = Castell Bryant, and an "unfounded" audit by KPMG. Solution = James Ammons. Sorry folks, but that audit is not going away and Ammons is going to have an extremely tough time unless he steps up and fires some of the FAMU long timers. When he does so, he is going to lose much of his support. Remember what happened when Castell Bryant started firing people. It wasn't pretty, and the tide of support for her changed very quickly. What makes you think that things will be any different for Ammons? The best thing he has going for him is that he is not an interim, bnut the legislature is going to be riding him like no FAMU president has ever been ridden.
It is a misconception to think that FAMU Alumni are not prepared for and actually hope that Dr. Ammons will make changes. And, that includes personnel. FAMU Alumni work all over the World and are very familiar with the changing society. They live with change each and every day. Change is a certainty. It is the methods that are used to effect change; That is where the problem is with this administration. Giving faculty little or no time to clean out their desks and not honoring legal contracts are not the preferred methods of personnel change. I am interested in what "long timers" are being referenced. The quote "long timers" were fired long ago. That is exactly what got us to the depth of the current audit crisis; fired long time institutional knowledge.
ReplyDeleteLet us not forget, Dr.Ammons successfully dealt with audit issues at NCCU. I believe he can do it again; and do it skillfully.
I am with you 9:32 PM. I believe he will do it skillfully following the long established personnel policy guidelines. Dr. Ammons has the ability to carry-on an intelligent conversation thereby demanding respect from those he is addressing. He has "old fashion manners" and gives respect to those he addresses in a professional way.
ReplyDeleteto the first comment:
ReplyDeleteYES YES YES!
We should either downsize or recruit qualified students.
The only students that should be allowed to get by are the "student" athletes - because there job is to entertain and bring money into the university.
I'm optimistic that Ammons coming to FAMU will be like Rivers going to FVSU. I bet Ammons is up to it. Something has to be done about the BOT. We need a little more turnover, and the right mix of new blood.
ReplyDeleteFor the record, Castell did not recruit, did not help alumni chapters recruit, and just generally ignored any efforts the Los Angeles Chapter tried to do to recruit students, nevertheless students want to go to FAMU. I'd be shocked if we didn't see an immediate and dramatic improvement in student recruitment.
The only students that should be allowed to get by are the "student" athletes - because there job is to entertain and bring money into the university.
ReplyDeleteRight on, brother!!!!! Isn't this FSU's strategy??????????
Guys, I sure hope that the Chronicle of Higher Education does not read this board!!!! The truth hurts, especially up the ass. . . . .
ReplyDelete12:28--"Worse" (in both instances), "worst." Before you get to railing on folks, engage a dictionary for appropriate word usage.
ReplyDelete2:28---the devil could actually be a "her." You're sexist.
ReplyDelete12:28, 3:07 & 3:12...I know all of these posts are from you, becuase you continually exhibit horrendous writing skills, continuously misuse certain words and insist on writing in a tone that defies basic logic. While you are ranting and raving and hurling insults, time a moment and diversify your commentary, utilize a dictionary and engage in at least one thoughtful commentary. That, or stay off the blog. Reading what you write is simply painful. (Before you say, "Well, don't read what I write," I readily skip over it when I realize that you've simply repeated yourself and have added nothing new to the dialogue here.)
ReplyDelete11:17 & 11:19--We know you are the same person. You are a complete fool to write this stuff here. Do you know that people EVERYWHERE read this blog? Now, what is the point of being so doggone nasty and filthy? Good gracious alive! You've got some serious mental health issues. The RN administrator should delete your post.
ReplyDeleteFAMU law school in serious trouble -- with a 50R% bar passage rate we will never be accredited. Note also that NCCU would have failed this new ABA accredidation standard!!!!!!
ReplyDeletePLEASE SEND COMMENTS TO STANDARDS REVIEW COMMITTEE ON THE PROPOSED ABA INTERPRETATION: see contact information below
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The ABA has propose Interpretation 301-6 which addresses bar passage data and how it will be handled by the Accreditation Committee. Specifically, it will set the minimum benchmark first time bar passage rate at 70%. This rate is almost 10 points higher than the 61% first time bar passage rate of African Americans. One research predicts that every one of the top five ABA-approved law schools in the country in terms of African-American enrollment (Howard, Southern, Texas Southern, North Carolina Central, and District of Columbia) will fail to meet this propose interpretation.
Please take the time to contact the Standards Review Committee of the Council on Legal Education either in writing or preferrably at the public hearing to be held in San Francisco at May 16 meeting in San Francisco.
It is imperative that this change is not adopted. It will be the death blow to increasing African American enrollment in law schools. The failure to have equitable number of African American lawyers will impact not only individual access to lawyers but the available of legal knowledge in the community. Insufficient attorneys of color will impact your social justice work whether it is improving health care access, k-12 education, access to housing, wealth or decreasing all forms of structural inequality. Black lawyers important to the work of every social justice movement. Please write the Standards Review Committee and urge them not adopt any standard that may have the effect of decreasing black attorneys.
Background
At the Council's February 10, 2007 open session at the mid-winter meeting in Miami, the Standards Review Committee began consideration of a new interpretation on bar passage that would "codify the long-standing practices of the Accreditation Committee" and "respond to findings in the DOE Draft Staff Analysis regarding the transparency of the Committee's practices regarding bar passage." The Council decided to raise the cut-score trigger to a flat rate of 70% in the proposed interpretation. That is about a 15% increase in the cut-score that school's will be required to meet or else be put on report-back status for failure to satisfy Standards 301(a) and 501(b). And under other changes that the Dept of Ed is requiring the Council to make, schools will only have two years to demonstrate compliance, unless the Council finds good cause for an extension.
Professor William Wesley Patton of Whittier Law School has done a detailed study of the impact of these changes. It conservatively estimates based on the available data that 36 schools would have failed to meet the 70% cut-score over the ten-year period of 1996-2005, including every one of the top five ABA-approved law schools in the country in terms of African-American enrollment (Howard, Southern, Texas Southern, North Carolina Central, and District of Columbia).
In addition, provisionally approved Florida A & M, which also has a high percentage of African-American students, will likely fail to meet this mark when its grads begin taking the bar. The reason is because the best data available on bar passage rates by racial and ethnic groups, the 1998 LSAC National Longitudinal Bar Passage Study, shows that the average first-time bar passage rate of African-American graduates is 61%.
What this all means is that if the 70% cut-score in Proposed Interpretation 301-6 is approved, law schools with access-oriented missions will face additional pressure to restrict the number of African-American applicants they admit, so as to avoid being put on report and facing the threat of sanctions within two years; because on average, each African-American applicant a school admits will push it further out of compliance with the standards.
Another issue that has not gotten much discussion is that Standard 301 is about the quality of a school's educational program, not bar results, which supposedly are indicative of a problem with the school's program. But , the facts are that the high-LSAT graduates score at higher passing rates, indicating that the issue is with admissions, not the quality of the educational program. The 70% cut-score inherently favors elite schools and does not account for access-based programs that serve the African-American community.
Another issue is that while this proposed interpretation raises the performance bar, the Council continues to preclude schools from identifying at-risk students who would benefit from academic support programs that improve first-time passing rates and requiring them to participate in those programs. No standard or interpretation requiring a minimum performance level should be adopted while schools are prohibited from doing what needs to be done to raise the performance level of these students.
____________________________________________________________________________________
CONTACT INFORMATION:
The Standards Review Committee will be holding a public hearing May 16, 2007 in conjunction with the ALI meeting in San Francisco. The purpose of the hearing is to obtain comments with respect to proposed Interpretation 301-6 (bar passage) and Standard 801(a), to make the latter consistent with Rule 10 of the Rules of Procedure for the Approval of Law Schools . In addition, comments will be accepted regarding proposed changes to previously discussed Rules 13, 20 and 21 and proposed Interpretation 509-3. Text and commentary for proposed Interpretation 301-6 and proposed Standard 801(a) can be found at:
http://www.abanet.org/legaled/standards/noticeandcomment/801(a)_20070320094054.pdf. Text and commentary for proposed Rules 13, 20 and 21 and proposed Interpretation 509-3 is available at: http://www.abanet.org/legaled/standards/standardsdocuments/ChangestoRulesandNewInterpretation509 3.doc
The Standards Review hearing will be held:
Wednesday, May 16, 2007 at 9:00a.m.
Tower Salon Room
Westin St. Francis Hotel
335 Powell St.
San Francisco, CA
Tele: 415/ 397-7000
In addition to the hearing, interested persons are encouraged to submit written comments to Dan Freehling, Deputy Consultant, at our Chicago office, (321 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60610) or by e-mail at freehlid@staff.abanet.org. All written comments must be received by May 10, 2007.
Even some "die-hard" Corbin supporters have turned on Cast-Hell! I heard one slamming her just yesterday.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone realize how this woman continues to disrespect ALL of the FAMU community.
ReplyDeleteShe speaks of the staff as a bunch of incompetent thieves "this is the environment I am working in; property has been missing for years; they don't show up for training, even though they need it" when is someone going to take her to task for this.
And that damn Bill Cotterell co-signs all these negative comments as if they are factual.
this board is in denial. the tallahassee democrat is letting famu off lightly. you should read the press from the rest of the state. fact is that famu has been mismanaged for years. consequently, it has fallin' way way behind and the state's demographics have changed tremendously since. it is no longer a black and white world, and famu has failed to adapt.
ReplyDelete