From the op-ed: “FAMU a national model in preparing blacks
for advanced scientific work”:
A question from the June Florida Board of Governors meeting
asked why a minority student seeking “to get the best education” would select
Florida A&M University.
The National Science Foundation’s data sheds light on one of
the biggest reasons for FAMU’s status as a school of choice among thousands of
minority students: FAMU out-performs all other public universities in preparing
blacks for the highest level of academic study in science and engineering
(S&E) concentrations.
This achievement is a credit to FAMU’s long-running practice
of enrolling students who are well-prepared for a demanding curriculum. Every
FAMU freshman class over the past 22 years has had at least a 3.0 average high
school GPA.
FAMU’s success in expanding its enrollment over the decades
with such quality students permitted it to steadily send larger numbers of its
graduates on to S&E doctoral programs.
Another component of FAMU’s proven pedagogy is its emphasis
on connecting talented students with supportive faculty mentors…
The rigorous science curriculum at FAMU benefits all
students regardless of major. And while most students are ready for these
classes, it still takes many more than six years to graduate due to their
financial circumstances…
The answer to raising graduation rates is increased
investment in academic advising and financial aid, not income-based exclusion
of well-qualified students.
Read the full op-ed here.