FAMU plummets to number 18 in BE ranking

Every year, Black Enterprise generates a list of the "Top 50 Colleges for African Americans," and though FAMU traditionally places fairly well on this list, this year's number 18 ranking was quite a disappointment and, unexpected.

In two years, FAMU's rank dropped from the number one spot in 2006 to 18 on the list. Accreditation issues, a gift from the previous administration, may have contributed to FAMU's sharp decline. All those issues have been satisfactorily addressed.

The number 18 spot was FAMU's lowest ranking on the list since it begun. Prior to this year FAMU had consistently ranked among the top six colleges.

If there is a bright spot, of the 17 schools placing ahead of FAMU are all private institutions, making FAMU the top public university for African-Americans.

The methodology
Black Enterprise, a multimedia company that describes itself as "the premier business, investing, and wealth-building resource for African Americans", anchored by Black Enterprise Magazine, with a circulation of 3.9 million, says, the ranking was developed by surveying "more than 700 African-American higher education professionals, including presidents, chancellors, and student affairs directors."

Schools considered had to be "accredited four-year institutions with an African-American student enrollment of at least 3%." It used these survey results to calculate "average scores for academic and social environments for each school." The rankings also took into consideration the black student graduation rate and the number of black undergraduate students as a percentage of total undergraduates.

Before calculating the rankings, Black Enterprise capped the percentage of black undergraduates at 50% for historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

Also see: We're number 1