FAMU will host the first-ever HBCU Student Success Summit on April 17, bringing together leaders from historically Black colleges and universities to exchange research-backed approaches to improving student persistence, engagement, and academic achievement.
The daylong gathering, organized by FAMU’s Division of Academic Affairs, reflects a growing urgency among higher education institutions to address retention and completion challenges for low-income, first-generation, and academically underprepared students.
The summit is particularly timely as the federal government increasingly measures and tracks student success beyond traditional graduation rates, incorporating post-college earnings and economic mobility into institutional evaluations. The shift reflects a growing emphasis on ensuring colleges become more accountable for long-term student outcomes.
“Student success requires intentional strategies and coordinated support across the institution,” said Allyson L. Watson, Ph.D., provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at FAMU. “By convening HBCU leaders to share proven strategies, we can strengthen persistence and create more pathways for student achievement across our institutions.”
The summit comes as FAMU itself has posted standout results in student retention. The university recently achieved a 97.1% fall-to-spring retention rate for first-year students, among the highest of any public HBCU in the nation and well above the national average, which typically falls between 83% and 85%. While FAMU’s retention usually hovers in the low 90s, this year’s figure signals the impact of its targeted student success initiatives.
The university’s approach is built around four pillars: academic excellence, Rattler belonging, financial wellness, and career and purpose. These guide a campus-wide ecosystem of support designed to help students not only persist but thrive.
Sessions during the summit will cover data-informed student success strategies, coordinated advising, fostering belonging, and lessons from high-performing initiatives. The event is intentionally designed to be practical and actionable.
“The summit is designed to focus on strategies that institutions can implement to strengthen student persistence and completion,” said Jennifer Collins, Ph.D., associate provost for Student Success. “Participants will engage with peers and national experts, examine approaches grounded in data and lived experience, and leave with practical insights they can apply on their campuses.”
With its recent retention success, FAMU has positioned itself as a model of what coordinated, compassionate student support can achieve. Now, the university intends to share its lessons learned across the HBCU community.
“This isn’t about competition,” Watson added. “It’s about collaboration. When one HBCU rises, we all do.”