FAMU Among Florida Colleges Targeted by Report For Massive Changes
State commission considers having the HBCU drop its graduate programs.
By Blair S. Walker
Florida is mulling a proposal that would convert one of the country’s premier Black universities into an institution that only grants four-year degrees.
This suggested switch in Florida A&M University’s status was made with an eye toward helping Florida’s 11 state colleges and universities better cope with explosive student growth, officials say.
“We would have to disagree with any report that would limit Florida A&M University’s ability to deliver under higher programs, and only agree to programs that help FAMU to move upward,” incoming FAMU President James H. Ammons told Black College Wire.
For the time being, the State University System of Florida, or SUS, is merely gathering information on the proposal, which would dramatically transform the historically Black university renowned for its pharmacy school and MBA program.
The proposal came from a study done for SUS’s Board of Governors, a 17-member panel that oversees the Sunshine State’s higher education system. The study was prepared at a cost of $200,000 by the Pappas Consulting Group Inc., a Stamford, Conn.,-based company that works with educational and nonprofit organizations.
