The Graduate Feeder Scholars Program (GFSP) is a partnered flagship pipeline between Florida A&M and more than 40 schools across the nation to help students effectively apply and further their education through seeking a terminal degree.
In this program students are required to attend workshops set in place to help them prepare for the meticulous work graduate studies entail.
The workshops include skills that help students learn about what to expect in graduate school, tips on how to take standardized tests, and how to write a dissertation, theses, and a personal statement. Associate provost for graduate education and dean of the Graduate College, David H. Jackson Jr, said, “I would like to make sure that the FAMU students take advantage of this great opportunity where these schools will provide them with scholarships to be able to get master’s and Ph.D. degrees at no cost to themselves”.
Former Florida A&M University President Frederick S. Humphries developed the program in1987 after he saw the need to increase the number of African American students enrolling to pursue advanced graduate education. Thirty-two years later, the program has helped service thousands of students on Florida A&M’s campus. Last year alone, more than 800 students showed up to the Graduate Feeder Conference.
The recruitment conference is held every year for other colleges and universities to come to Florida A&M’s campus to tell the students about their graduate programs. Senior history major Aaricka Freeman is looking forward to attending this year’s conference. “I’m very excited to attend the recruitment fair because not only do I plan on becoming a graduate feeder scholar, but I intend to attend the University of South Florida for my master’s and hopefully my Ph.D.,” Freeman said.
The program is designed to facilitate opportunities for students to learn tips on how to take tests necessary to be accepted into graduate programs; like the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) and Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). In addition, the program is looking to expand and partner with other colleges and universities across the nation, including other HBCUs.
Reginald Ellis, assistant dean of the School of Graduate Research, said, “We would love for their students (other schools) to come to Florida A&M because they may not have a program that we have and so we would look for a diverse type feeder concept.”