FAMU's curriculum gets high marks

FAMU is one of five universities in the State of Florida receiving high marks for ensuring students graduate with the skills and knowledge they need according to a new assessment by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA). FAMU also set itself apart by being the only university to have an American history or government requirement.

The ACTA, a national higher ed non-profit, graded the State University System of Florida and leading private colleges based on how many of the following key core subjects they require: composition, mathematics, foreign language, science, economics, literature and American government or history. Many studies have shown that employers are dissatisfied with the basic skills and knowledge of recent college graduates. The website noted that its unique information determines whether colleges make sure their students learn the things they need to know.

FAMU received a grade of “B” along with Florida State University, the University of Miami, the University of West Florida and the University of North Florida. Those schools with a “B” had four to five core subjects required.

Harry R. Lewis, former dean of Harvard College, who had a letter on the site, WhatWillTheyLearn.com, said, “many studies have shown that our college graduates are ignorant of the basic principles on which government run.” “This is especially dangerous in America, where nothing holds us together except our democratic principles.”

According to an article by WCTV-6, four of Florida’s 11 public universities received a “B” for requiring a majority of subjects and so did the University of Miami. Nationally, the TV station reported, less than 5 percent of universities have been awarded “A”s on ACTA’s WhatWillTheyLearn.com initiative. Many of the most prestigious universities received a failing grade including Yale, Cornell, Brown and Berkeley. Harvard received a “D.”