FAMU breaks in to the Top 100 ranking of public universities in 2023. Here are the year's biggest winners and losers

After 52 weeks of covering the victors and the vanquished, the champions and the also-
rans, the heroes and villains of FAMU, there was an embarrassment of riches to choose from – literally.   Here are some of our favorites.
 
Winners
FAMU cracks Top 100: FAMU climbed to new heights in the U.S. News & World Report annual rankings of “Best Colleges for 2024” in September, catapulting 12 slots to No. 91 (tie) among the nation’s top 100 public universities.  FAMU also climbed four spots to land in the No. 3 slot as the third best HBCU overall behind only Spelman and Howard.
 
New Campus Housing: FAMU continued to expand its real estate footprint along FAMU Way by purchasing Citivue Apartments on Eugenia Street for $12.7 million, in an immediate effort to add new campus housing.  The move followed up the university's 2022 purchase of two apartment complexes in the area for $12.6 million.
 
Additionally, the Florida Board of Governors approved FAMU’s plan to borrow $102.9 million to construct 700 new beds of on-campus housing. 

SWAC Champions:  The Rattlers won SWAC championships in Baseball, Women’s’ Tennis, women’s cross country and football in 2023.  

The Rattler football team also won its 16^th HBCU National Championship by defeating Howard U. in the Celebration Bowl and finished the season with a 12-1 record. While the baseball team won its first HBCU National Championship

Black Males:  FAMU brought 46 at-risk Black male high school students to campus to expose them to college life by taking them through a rigorous six weeks of direct and supplemental instruction in mathematics, science, language arts, mentoring, and academic planning. 

Record Breaking Year:  FAMU set new single year records in fundraising and sponsored research.  The university brought in $25.7 million from donors and $96 million in research grants further laying the foundation for its accession to Carnegie R-1 status.   

Grads Excel:  2001 FAMU Grad Roy Wood Jr served as the entertainer for the 2023 White House Correspondents Dinner.  

Melissa Buttler, a 2009 SBI grad, Founder and CEO of The Lip Bar, Inc, saw her 11-year old cosmetic brand expand into 3,300 CVS locations doubling it current number of brick-and mortar stores to 5,300. 

Losers
History:  FAMU continued its years long move to tear-down historic campus structures by demolishing Truth Hall and Gibbs Hall. Gibbs is the sixth FAMU residence hall to be demolished following Diamond, McGuinn, Cropper, Wheatley, Truth and Paddyfote in the past five years.   

Orange Blossom Classic:  FAMU’s three year participation in the revived OBC football game in Miami appears to be coming to an end, with the university turning down Classic organizers’ offer of a 3-year $1.475 million deal that would pay the Rattlers $450,000 in 2024, $500,000 in 2025, and $525,000 in 2026 for an all-expense paid trip for the football team, and band, to play in the game.   Worst yet, FAMU athletic officials refused to even counter offer the OBC’s proposal and just walked away from the table.

Law School:  FAMU Law grads continue to struggle when it comes to passing the Florida Bar.   FAMU Law’s passage rate was worst in the state for the July 2023 exam.

Marching 100: This wasn't the marching band's best year.  Despite having two former 100 members on the voting panel -- former Band Director Julian White and former drum major Don Roberts - the band finished sixth overall in the first ever ESPN Band of the Year ranking.  

The band's auxiliaries (flags) failed to place in the top 10, the drum majors finished 5th, musicality the 100rd finished 6th, and the percussions finished 7th.  

On the bright side, the 100rd finished first in picture drill designs ranking.  

The year ahead

FAMU appears to be on the cusp of more promise, more innovation, more collaboration and more achievements, both academically and athletically, in 2024.  

Already, this year the FAMU School of the Environment has announced that it will hold its International EnergyWaterFoodClimateNexus Summit in Durban, South Africa, next summer.