Once again the Rattler spirit has prevailed over misleading headlines, vicious internet rumor-mongering, and the damage inflicted by FAMU’s previous interim administration.
Yesterday, the American Bar Association’s Council on Legal Education Opportunity granted full accreditation to FAMU’s law school. With the decision, the ABA confirmed that the FAMU College of Law meets the same federally-mandated quality standards as the ones at UF, FSU, and the University Miami.
FAMU law has weathered more political attacks and slanted media reports than any other in Florida’s history.
The law school was founded in 1949 on FAMU’s main campus in Tallahassee. After graduating 57 lawyers, it was closed by the Florida Legislature in 1968. Lawmakers then sent FAMU law’s library collection to a newly created law school at the majority-white Florida State University.
For the next three decades, Rattlers fought the reverse that wrong. However, the Board of Regents stood in the way and blocked the law school’s reestablishment.
Leaders such as former President Frederick S. Humphries and then-State Rep. Al Lawson finally succeeded in going above the BOR’s head and persuading the legislature to restore the law school in 2000. The deal was intertwined with the politics of the state’s decision to build a medical school at FSU and a College of Law at FIU.
The reestablished FAMU College of Law opened its doors in 2002 and is now housed in a state-of-the-art facility at 201 Beggs Avenue in downtown Orlando’s Parramore neighborhood.
Despite its optimistic start, the new law school fell to a low point under former Interim President Castell Bryant. The Bryant administration withheld $5 million from the school’s budget and permitted it to slide into instability. Faculty also faced difficulty getting paid as a result of the Castell-inflicted payroll system meltdown.
In 2007, newly-installed President James Ammons made the law school a top academic priority and immediately began repairing the damage Castell left behind. During his first months in office, he quickly restored the money that she had kept from the school.
Through offering top-dollar for talent, Ammons lured LeRoy Pernell, who had served as Northern Illinois University’s College of Law dean for 10 years, to head FAMU’s law school. Pernell, in turn, assembled a high-caliber administrative and faculty team of his own.
With the influx of state money, FAMU’s law professors were able to beef up their bar exam prep courses. Soon, students began performing better on the test.
Despite misleading news coverage, the ABA did its job to look at the facts about FAMU’s bar passage rates. The truth is that the overwhelming majority of FAMU law students pass the test. According to Pernell, the school’s overall passage rate is about 80 percent.
FAMU law now has a long list of impressive academic accomplishments. It is ranked as the #1 most diverse law school in America, has a program that pipelines its graduates into employment positions at the prestigious Akerman Senterfitt law firm, and houses an innovative Center for International Law and Justice.
Yesterday, the American Bar Association’s Council on Legal Education Opportunity granted full accreditation to FAMU’s law school. With the decision, the ABA confirmed that the FAMU College of Law meets the same federally-mandated quality standards as the ones at UF, FSU, and the University Miami.
FAMU law has weathered more political attacks and slanted media reports than any other in Florida’s history.
The law school was founded in 1949 on FAMU’s main campus in Tallahassee. After graduating 57 lawyers, it was closed by the Florida Legislature in 1968. Lawmakers then sent FAMU law’s library collection to a newly created law school at the majority-white Florida State University.
For the next three decades, Rattlers fought the reverse that wrong. However, the Board of Regents stood in the way and blocked the law school’s reestablishment.
Leaders such as former President Frederick S. Humphries and then-State Rep. Al Lawson finally succeeded in going above the BOR’s head and persuading the legislature to restore the law school in 2000. The deal was intertwined with the politics of the state’s decision to build a medical school at FSU and a College of Law at FIU.
The reestablished FAMU College of Law opened its doors in 2002 and is now housed in a state-of-the-art facility at 201 Beggs Avenue in downtown Orlando’s Parramore neighborhood.
Despite its optimistic start, the new law school fell to a low point under former Interim President Castell Bryant. The Bryant administration withheld $5 million from the school’s budget and permitted it to slide into instability. Faculty also faced difficulty getting paid as a result of the Castell-inflicted payroll system meltdown.
In 2007, newly-installed President James Ammons made the law school a top academic priority and immediately began repairing the damage Castell left behind. During his first months in office, he quickly restored the money that she had kept from the school.
Through offering top-dollar for talent, Ammons lured LeRoy Pernell, who had served as Northern Illinois University’s College of Law dean for 10 years, to head FAMU’s law school. Pernell, in turn, assembled a high-caliber administrative and faculty team of his own.
With the influx of state money, FAMU’s law professors were able to beef up their bar exam prep courses. Soon, students began performing better on the test.
Despite misleading news coverage, the ABA did its job to look at the facts about FAMU’s bar passage rates. The truth is that the overwhelming majority of FAMU law students pass the test. According to Pernell, the school’s overall passage rate is about 80 percent.
FAMU law now has a long list of impressive academic accomplishments. It is ranked as the #1 most diverse law school in America, has a program that pipelines its graduates into employment positions at the prestigious Akerman Senterfitt law firm, and houses an innovative Center for International Law and Justice.
YEAH!!YEAH!!YEAH!!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations FAMU!! Great job Dr. Ammons, Dr. Pernell, Staff, and Students.
FAMU, FAMU, FAMU Colleg of Law!!!!!
Heeeeyyyy! Way to go RATTLERS!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWoo hoo!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jeb!
ReplyDeleteF##k Jeb!! Is that the same Jeb that wanted to classify FAMU as a lower tier university, selected Castell Bryant to lead our university, and appointed James Corbin as head of the Trustees?
ReplyDeleteThanks Fred!!!
Awesome job. We can't even celebrate without the naysayers giving credit to the very people who plotted and schemed against us in public and private, from some of the most powerful places in the state.
ReplyDeletecan somebody post a link to the celebratory article in the st.pete times???
ReplyDelete