Campus of Florida A&M University
But the move has drawn criticism from students who say the changes threaten the school's foundational mission.
The restructuring, which FAMU is calling "academic program prioritization," was presented to the university's Board of Trustees and reflects what officials describe as a strategic effort to consolidate low-enrollment programs rather than eliminate them. The review includes structural adjustments to African American Studies and Fine Arts courses, mostly consolidating those courses into other degree programs.
University data underscore why administrators moved to act: over the past three years, nine students graduated from the African American Studies program. Sixteen have graduated from Studio Fine Arts.
The university was emphatic that neither program will be eliminated. University officials said African American Studies would not be eliminated and would remain central to FAMU's identity. On the Fine Arts side, the standalone Studio/Fine Art degree will be folded into Digital Arts and Graphic Design, with expanded emphasis in Artificial Intelligence, User Experience Design, and other digital creative fields — a shift administrators say will broaden career pathways for students.
All currently enrolled students in the affected programs will be permitted to complete their degrees, and faculty will retain their positions, university officials confirmed.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Allyson Watson defended the restructuring as a practical response to market realities and declining student demand.
"We decided to consolidate programs so that they are much more appealing and meet the students where they are and what they want to do, but really bring them together so that, instead of having two programs with a small number of students, we put them together and say this is a larger student impact and overall of a better run program," Watson said.
But Watson also acknowledged that the process could have been managed with more transparency.
"If I could have done anything over again, I would've had the opportunity to have more students engaged so that they could know, just like they would hear from their dean and hear from others. We're making some important decisions that will affect you or your friends, and it's important for you to hear about it. So we will make sure that we do that in the future," Watson said.
The provost's admission came after a small group of students gathered on campus to protest the changes, raising concerns that go beyond the mechanics of program consolidation to questions about FAMU's identity as an HBCU.
The university framed the restructuring in its public statement as consistent with its mission.
"These actions represent structural alignment and administrative efficiency, not a retreat from our mission, academic depth, or institutional identity," the statement read.
