FAMU President James Ammons will "hit road" on an eight-city tour across Florida from March 8-11, 2008, to meet potential students, parents, business executives and alumni. Ammons is on a mission to aggressively rebuild FAMU's enrollment and spread the university's message to potential donors and the corporate community.“This tour will give us the opportunity to tell our story to people across Florida and help us continue to boost enrollment while recruiting some of the state’s best and brightest students,” said Ammons.
The tour will take Ammons and a team of administrators, recruitment advisors, and students to Jacksonville, St. Petersburg, Miami, Pensacola, Dothan, Ala., Daytona Beach, West Palm Beach and Sarasota. Ammons also will pay a visit to the homes of two high school seniors who have been offered full scholarships to FAMU for fall 2008.
“This is an excellent opportunity for me to personally meet students and tell them why they should attend Florida A&M University,” said Ammons. “Florida is a very competitive market in terms of choices for higher education, and I want students, parents and supporters to understand that FAMU has something very unique to offer.”
I was excited about this article until I found out they were just visting cities in Florida. As an alumni recruited from out-of-state, it saddens me that the school isn't making a bigger push for students outside of Florida.
ReplyDeleteOut-of-state students have higher test scores, take on more challenging majors, and are more likely to fully matriculate. (thats not saying anything bad about Florida kids, just that those who make the effort to come all that way typically take their education more seriously).
Despite that rant, I am glad they are doing something.
This is great! The tour is also visiting Alabama!!
ReplyDeleteall of this, is good, really.
ReplyDeletebut--and you know someone was going to say something, so it may as well be me--classes are being cut in the summer, faculty positions are being eliminated, programs are being axed, etc. i know, i know...if the students are there, well, there's not going to be any classes or faculty,etc. it's really a catch-22. no good deed goes unpunished.
correction on my above post: "if the students aren't there..."
ReplyDeleteHe can't visit all cities in the amount of time alloted for these visits. I wish he could make that trip to more states and more cities but its just not feasible. Its practically during spring break and the students traveling on that trip can't afford to miss school for recruitment purposes.
ReplyDeleteIt is my understanding that this is not the only recruitment trip planned. The objective is to initially garner the best and brightest from the state and region and then move into other key states. It's all gonna be good. The budget cuts are not finalized UNTIL the Congress meets to talk allocations for education and universities. All of the cuts are presuppositions on what will have to be done IF the FL Congress does not choose to support education.
ReplyDeleteThis is not true 2:30am, they are also going to Dothan, Alabama during this eight city tour. I think he is going to change the cities every year. One thing to keep in mind as well is that recuritment also takes place at every major classic and away game.
ReplyDeleteDr. Ammons needs to be truthful with the parents also, about the accreditation problems he has not solve yet. It's sad that the community and the university is being misled by him.
ReplyDelete10:56, now YOU'RE the one who need to take a lesson in veracity. No one is being misled about accreditation issues. Come on. Try something new. As much as the issues have been plastered over the media and the KNOWN resolutions of the key issues have been publicized as well. If you are going to comment, let's at least be truthful in what YOU are spinning.
ReplyDelete11:38 AM,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, 10:56 has a problem. Everybody in the world knows that FAMU is on probation. And I'm confident that Dr. Ammons discusses that with parents and student prospects.
Are we behaving like a college that is going to lose its accreditation? NO!!!!!!! We are taking care of our business and the best is yet to come.
FAMU, I love thee.
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University is a FULLY ACCREDITED INSTITUTION...whats misleading about that!
ReplyDeleteFAMU, as a state school, HAS to have a large native population.
ReplyDeleteThis used to be aggregated for the whole university system, but now each university is looked at individually.
This change of policy has hurt FAMU's ability to recruit out of state.
1:20
ReplyDeleteYou are lying by omission. There is a big asterisk behind that "fully accredited institution" statement.
When your marriage stinks, you don't go around telling people that you are fully and legally married in the state of Florida and under God. Its a true statement, but its not representative of the truth.
1:32 what is your point? FAMU is FULLY ACCREDITED! There is no need for an asterisk. If you have personal issues with FAMU please do not have anyone in your family attend, if you work for FAMU PLEASE QUIT, and if you are not doing anything to improve the situation please SHUT UP!
ReplyDelete1:32,
ReplyDeleteEither you're illiterate or you lack reading comprehension skills because, as stated previously, FAMU has been all over the media regarding the SACS issue. Also publicized in those media outlets was the news that FAMU is still FULLY ACCREDITTED by SACS. As my final prognosis, maybe you suffer from selective reading. It'll be my pleasure to fill you a prescription of Hooked On Phonics.
Danielle Kennedy-Lamar is the VP or Associate VP for Enrollment Managememnt or something like that right?? She was employed by Alabama A&M before being hired by Cast-hell Bryant, right?? She has access to all Admission and enrollment data, right?? Isn't it ironic how Alabama A&M, is now the top HBCU to produce African-American students (a ranking that FAMU has garnered for years)? However, to my knowledge--and don't get me wrong, BIG UPs to any HBCU doing their thing and making moves-we all deserve success--Alabama A&M has not been in that running for at least the past few years and enrollment is up there significantly! Recruitment and enrollment at FAMU is at its lowest in years. Some disturbing thoughts pertaining to how Kennedy-Lamar is not pressing for better recruitment and enrollemnt strategies, and not to mention the possibility of leaking information to some of her Alabama A&M cronies about our Admissions and enrollment process comes to mind. Could Kennedy-Lamar possibly be sabotaging our enrollment efforts being that records are readily accessible to her??? Something to think about since she IS one of the lingering few from CAST-HELL VAUGHN BRYANT'S regime.
ReplyDeleteShe might be setting her self up for a rainy day here in Tally with a job waiting on her back in Alabama.
I don't understand why you think that a personal attack (argumentum ad hominem) will help you make your point.
ReplyDeleteIf a person is factually wrong or if you disagree with them, can't you say so without questioning their intelligence, threatening them, questioning their blackness, or insulting their mother?
The ad hominem only makes YOU look uncultured and I think it has quite the opposite effect than you intended (it makes YOU look bad, not the person you think is an idiot).
What is the deadline to comply?
ReplyDeleteIs it June 08?
What if we don't comply? Do we lose it?
Further, is it ethical to tell prospects that we are fully accredited and then not mention that there is a slight chance that we may NOT be fully accredited by the time they get here?
from diverseeducation.com:
Florida A&M University
has six months to comply with the following requirements:
- Demonstrate control of finances
- Have qualified administrative staff
- Demonstrate financial stability
- Provide financial profile information annually
- Audit financial aid programs
- Exercising control over financial resources
- Have control of sponsored research/external funds, a federal requirement
- Show control exists over physical resources inventory/moveable assets
- Satisfy program responsibilities under Title IV of the 1998 Higher Education Amendments
4:18 p.m, again your premise for argument is faulty. The insinuation was the Pres. Ammons should avoid, I presume as the insinuation asserts, the propensity to be dishonesty to potential students and parents concerning the SACS probationary issues. As others have pointed out, (some eloquently, some not so) that this is a PUBLIC matter that I am very sure that all who are interested in attending FAMU are quite aware. Thank you for your rehearsal of the facts in questions, but it is disingenuous on your part to continue to promote facts in rehearsal that are clearly and publicly in REVERSAL. You have not SUFFICIENTLY done your homework as you would like us to think. Do you have a problem with FAMU recruiting? Trust, there are too many opposers of FAMU lurking around to allow Ammons to propagate a falsehood. Besides, he doesn't need to. FAMU is STILL an excellent choice of school.
ReplyDelete1:32, I don't know what you're talking about. Either something is true or it's not. The university is still accredited. It's still on probation, but it's accredited nonetheless. A divorcing couple may be separated but in the eyes of the law, they're still married. They might be having serious problems, but legally they're married. Same thing.
ReplyDeleteYour attack on Mrs. Kennedy-Lamar is baseless and just plain WRONG. First she wasn't at Ala. A&M she was Ala. State !
ReplyDeleteSo, I guess that makes the rest of your rant about her just plain wrong too.
"The tour will take Ammons and a team of administrators, recruitment advisors, and students"; As usual, the faculty are not involved in this. It seems that Ammons, as usual, thinks FAMU is mainly about the administration. They think of themselves first, students second and the faculty, if at all, last. The Administration pays themselves high salaries while they make mistake after mistake. They still can not take care of simple administrative business. They can not continue to cover up their incompetence--FAMU is going to pay a dear price for not demanding Administrative competence. Their is nothing wrong with FAMU that a few competent people in the Administration could not fix if they admit the problems and get themselves organized.
ReplyDeleteAMEN, 9:47! Faculty members at the university are the most disrespected/least respected group of folk on the entire campus. And they/we work like pure canines. Heck, we can't even get a few $$ to go to conferences to present scholarly papers. We use our own $$ and pray to the high heavens that the university will reimburse us before the Age of Aquarius. Basic supplies? We are so hampered by the lack of technology until it's not even funny, but the administration carries on, paying big $$ to everyone except faculty. We are the James Browns of the university. (I'm trying to play nice here.)
ReplyDeleteAdditionally (and before anyone jumps on me and say, "well, go find another job!", well), I have a right to complain, just like everyone else. Other folks complain about their job. I can do the same. I remain, however, because I enjoy teaching the students, and I like the students, and I like what I do. But not all is well. Short of that? well...
ReplyDeleteDo something about it. Have dinner and invite veryone over. See wha happens. Don't be an un-engaged family member.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it ironic how Alabama A&M, is now the top HBCU to produce African-American students (a ranking that FAMU has garnered for years)?
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely wrong. According to Diverse Issues in Higher Education, FAMU is still the #1 producer of blacks with baccalaureate degrees. Howard University is second. Georgia State University is third.
Alabama A&M didn't even rank in the top 15. It didn't even beat the University of Phoenix-Online Campus, which graduated 396 blacks.
It's clear that you're on here speaking on issues that you know nothing about.
Dr. Ammons, pleeasssee take some faculty on the recruitment trip. They feel so neglected. Hmm..maybe we need you in the classrooms doing an excellent job to assist in recruitment because one of the main questions that is asked about FAMU is ineffective professors who get paid for doing nothing....Every body needs to play their part!
ReplyDeleteThe previous commentator misses the point. Prospective students should be coming to FAMU for the education provided by the faculty, not the Administration. The FAMU Administation is not what will bring students to FAMU--it is the faculty. The Administration is what has driven students off. FAMU at present is all about the Administration--it is bassackwards. These people provide almost zero Administrative services. The Faculty spend most of the time cleaning up their pathetic mess.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the previous poster missed it in totality. Prospective students do not primarily base their decision to come to any university faculty. It is based on programs and college life. Although quality faculty play a large part of the former, that awareness normally takes place after a prospect becomes a student. Then faculty really comes into play. This does not lessen the need or value of faculty, simply it asserts that students are FURTHER grounded at the university by quality teachers. Also consider that since the previous quagmires of FAMU was caused in adminstration, to me, it should be the administration putting in the extra effort to travel to assure prospective that the university has quality leadership and administration to ensure the school's present and future. I am a grad under the Humphries admin. I love allow my instructors but it was the vision of the adminstration that kept there and keeps me supporting. Thanks FAMU for great admin and faculty!
ReplyDeleteA major problem is the lack of adequate funding for recruitment. The FAMU administration, as always, has money when they want to have money. You know, to hire friends (and friends of friends) at undeserved salaries. And then they have to hire their family members as well. It gets to be sort of comical after a while. FAMU cries poor, but everyone we hire now gets paid two and three times their previous salaries that they were receiving before coming here. To do the right thing is to stop the nepotism and ineptness in the administration of the school.
ReplyDeleteHold people accountable, actually do employee reviews honestly.
Use that first 6 month probationary time when you hire people to ACTUALLY test them on everything they are supposed to do in their job title (the stuff they said they can do in the interview).
Look outside of just advertising for positions on the FAMU website. Its time to think outside of the box for once – how can we say we employ the best when the best may not even know a position is available.
Get more teachers that the students can understand. Students complain so much that they can't understand a teacher because they have too thick of an accent. The teachers then blame the students as if they are the ones speaking incoherently. If those teachers don't want to take english speech improving classes, it may be time for them to move on to institutions where the majority of the students can understand their diction.
DO INCENTIVE PROGRAMS!!!!!!
Try and relate to this generation of students. News Flash: The world has changed a bit since the early seventies. Its time to get some new blood that actually can relate to today's students. Too may old fogey's still thinking that their way is still relevent.
GET COMPETENT SENIOR STAFF!!!!! If the work study student know more than the Coordinator, then somethings wrong!!!! Everyone is not cut out to coordinate, supervise, direct, etc. Please only promote those that are deserving and realize if all a supervisor does when given a task, is tell another office worker to do it, then you can save alot of money by getting rid of that supervisor and bumping up the salary of the ACTUAL WORKER. You can actually save some money doing that.
I'm sorry, got on a rant and let it get the best of me, lol. I'd just love to see FAMU do the RIGHT thing the RIGHT way. I'd love to see the institution thrive again!
I'm glad DR.Ammons lying ass is coming to west palm beach. The alumni, parents and potential students there are waiting for him with a lot of questions. That some of us know he will lie about.
ReplyDelete12:57, for your information, the faculty IS engaged. all the time: on & off campus. all the time. what is your point??
ReplyDelete11:18 PM - Grow up! I am sure you do not speak for all of those in W. Palm Beach and don't embarass yourselves with issues that are over your head. It's about prospective students. STAY HOME if you are not pro-FAMU!!!
ReplyDelete