FAMU signs MOU with US Coast Guard

FAMU, recently, signed a partnership agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to recruitment students to this branch of the military as either officers or civilian employees. 
The USCG will offer students  “an elite scholarship” the College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative Scholarship (CSPI), to students enrolled at Historically Black Colleges (HBCUs) and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSI).

President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., said these kinds of partnerships help to address the financial challenges faced by many students while expanding their career opportunities.

“We really appreciate this opportunity to get more them out into the world and show the world what they can do,” said Robinson, who as a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) deputy administrator worked alongside the USCG on the BP oil spill cleanup. While there have been other FAMU-USCG initiatives, Robinson was more optimistic about CSPI.
 “We have a much greater opportunity here to expose our young men and women to all the things the Coast Guard has to offer,” Robinson said.  

As part of the agreement, full-time students who are qualified and selected for the program will receive up to two years of tuition, books, and fees paid, a competitive monthly salary, medical benefits, and a host of other benefits. The current stipend is $3,500 per month.

Available career fields include marine safety, law enforcement, humanitarian and natural disaster response, engineering, communications, computer science and aviation. Graduates can also enter intelligence, human resources, international affairs, financial management, recruiting, and health and medical professions.

As a result of the MOU, FAMU will now be connected to five of the major branches of the military – the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and USCG. 

The Coast Guard has been struggling with severe manpower and staffing shortages in recent years which has caused it to make adjustments to its operational plans.