FAMU scores big in 2010-2011 budget

big rattler
9

Having the right leadership in place makes a difference. It makes a damn big difference.

FAMU President James Ammons, Director of Governmental Relations Tola Thompson, and the university’s legislative delegation are bringing home big dollars from the capitol. What began as a year filled with fears about drastic cuts and layoffs has turned into a year filled with opportunity and optimism.

General Revenue

The 2010-2011 fiscal year budget developed by the Florida Legislature’s conference committee boosts FAMU’s general revenue by almost $10M over last year. FAMU began last year with $87M general revenue dollars, but lost $4.1M during the special session. Next year, FAMU will start out with $92.6M.

Educational Enhancement

FAMU’s educational enhancement appropriation, which comes from lottery dollars, is up by more than $2M. The final installment of federal educational stimulus dollars gave FAMU another $8,460,902.

Facilities

There’s also lots of good news for campus facilities. FAMU got $23M toward the estimated $30.9M price tag of Phase II of the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences building. Electrical upgrades, capital renewal and other infrastructure projects received $7M.

Two senators who are on their way out due to term limits delivered big for Florida’s only public historically black university. Sen. Durell Peaden (R-Crestview) netted the remaining $8.5M required to launch FAMU’s Crestview Educational Center. Sen. Al Lawson negotiated $6M for special outreach projects.

Tuition/Fees

The two chambers both mandate an eight percent tuition increase. FAMU also has the option to heap an up to seven percent “differential” hike on top of that figure.

The legislature’s tuition and fee hike revenue projections continue to utilize “fuzzy math.”

As Ammons noted last year, the legislature bases its tuition and fee projections on the assumption that every student will take a full course load. This is a serious problem because most of FAMU’s students take smaller course loads as college gets more expensive. That directly slices into overall tuition revenue.

The conference bill now awaits a final vote in each chamber of the legislature. It will then go on to Gov. Charlie Crist's desk.
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9Comments

  1. What are we going to do when Lawson leaves?

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  2. lets' hope he has groomed our leadership well and can advise when needed for best effect.

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  3. Heaven help us if we have to depend on Alan Williams !

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  4. You probably aren't engaged enough if you don't know what's next. Get more involved and perhaps you too can represent the people. Senator Lawson, we appreciate your service and will support you for your bid to congress. Rep. Williams doesn't deserve negative comments, he's new to the house and it will take more to get where some expect. I have faith that he's going to be excellent in short order. We must pay more attention to the state politics because we Floridians have taken double and triple whammy's from the republican's and the Bush's. Meanwhile we were building local connections and not thinking across the board. Let's go Rattlers. Time to be vocal and get active.

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  5. well said 5:16.

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  6. Curtis Richardson

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  7. We needed the budget cuts!!!! It is so many people at FAMU who NEED TO BE FIRED!!! It was the perfect guise to get rid of "tenured" professors! It was a great way to get rid of entire families working at the university! It was a great way to cull the students who need to kicked out!!!! FAMU needs HELP!

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  8. Thanks to UFF, many jobs were saved. See HB6! Also, see the top heavy salaries and bonuses of the Ammons administration people. To do so, visit UFF on Google and follow the prompts. There you will see salaries and bonuses given to already top heavy admininstrators! It's absolutely criminal that so very few are paid so very much, and others who actually do the work, are either ignored, overlooked, or just plain "let go". Something needs to be done!

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  9. This site is controlled by the Ammons administration. Much of what many of us say say is edited and deleted, especially when it the comments speak against the Ammons administration!

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