FAMU President James H. Ammons is not happy that his alma mater came in behind North Carolina A&T in awarding baccalaureates to black students. But he recently told university trustees that he is confident FAMU will top A&T again soon.Data published by Diverse Issues in Higher Education shows that NCA&T is now the #1 not-for-profit producer of blacks with baccalaureate degrees. It graduated 1,253 in 2009-2010 to FAMU’s 1,165.
The for-profit University of Phoenix-Online Campus was #1 overall in awarding baccalaureates to blacks with 2,181.
FAMU held the top overall spot in graduating blacks with baccalaureate degrees for 12 years from 1995 until 2007. In 2008 and 2009, FAMU was still #1 among not-for-profit colleges and universities.
The Class of 2008 was large because it was recruited by former President Frederick S. Humphries. The Class of 2009 was recruited by former President Fred Gainous. With the exception of the focus on National Achievement Scholars, Gainous followed Humphries’ example in building enrollment.
The enrollment numbers for the Class of 2010 recruited by Gainous were not quite enough to edge out NCA&T.
FAMU could fall even further behind over the next few years. On September 28, 2004, Gainous was fired. He was replaced in January by then-Interim President Castell Bryant, who tore the recruitment program (and just about everything else) to shreds and refused to honor many of the student scholarship offers that Gainous made.
FAMU went from a record enrollment of 13,070 students in Fall 2004 to 12,176 in Fall 2005. The numbers continued to tumble down to 11,913 in Fall 2006 and 11,567 in Fall 2007.
The downward slide in FAMU's fall semester "first time in college" (FTIC) numbers continued until Ammons rebuilt the Humphries recruitment program in 2007-2008.
2000: 1,943 (Class of 2006)
2001: 1,916 (Class of 2007)
2002: 1,898 (Class of 2008)
2003: 2,144 (Class of 2009)
2004: 2,013 (Class of 2010)
2005: 1,459 (Class of 2011)
2006: 1,458 (Class of 2012)
2007: 1,575 (Class of 2013)
2008: 1,820 (Class of 2014)
2009: 2,045 (Class of 2015)
2010: 2,119 (Class of 2016)
Source: FAMU Fact Books
The first class that Ammons recruited will not graduate until Sping 2015. FAMU will have a good chance of being the #1 not-for-profit producer of blacks with baccalaureate degrees by that year.
NCA&T’s strong performance is an accomplishment of former Chancellor James C. Renick. Renick boosted enrollment there every year from 1993 to 2006. FAMU will have to watch out for Jackson State University now that Renick has left his senior vice-president position with the American Council of Education to join that school as its senior executive assistant to the president for special programs.