According to Mangum, the goal of advancing the research,
teaching, and application of innovative solutions to global socio-economic,
ecological and energy sustainability issues is one of the cornerstones of her
administration. The FAMU-SI will play a pivotal role towards helping the
university to achieve this mission.
“FAMU has received national recognition for its strong
commitment to sustainability. As such, the goal of this institute is to enhance
our efforts, as well as expose the extensive knowledge and expertise that our
faculty and staff possess in this area,” Mangum said. “Our goal is to provide
real solutions to some of the world’s greatest and immediate environmental
sustainability needs.”
The new president publicly discussed her plans for the new program earlier this summer in a speech before the Economic Club of Florida. While Mangum originally called for an “Environmental Justice and Sustainability Institute,” she has since narrowed the focus for the initiative.
The three core programmatic areas of the Sustainability Institute
include: enhancing the university’s academic and research mission; improving
the efficiencies and environmental stewardship of campus operations; and
performing outreach and engagement initiatives among the university community
and broader communities.
The institute will directly engage students with the goal of
training future sustainability practitioners, entrepreneurs, leaders in
science, technology, research, engineering, agriculture, and mathematics
(STREAM) and other related disciplines.