The Florida A&M University Board of Trustees had an opportunity to celebrate FAMU’s rise in the national rankings during the board’s meeting Thursday.
President Robinson noted that on Monday U.S. News & World Report published its annual rankings, and that FAMU remained the No. 1-ranked public HBCU and that it had climbed 13 places in the rankings of all public colleges and universities to No. 104.
“Moving up 13 places is a testament to our focus on student success and the dedication to faculty, staff and students on the tenets of our strategic plan, “FAMU Rising,” Robinson said.
In a statement released by the Office of the Provost. “Our intentionality and teamwork allow us to focus acutely on opportunities and more effectively address challenges.”
Thursday’s meeting was held in the Grand Ballroom to discuss the state of the university and matters that concern students, faculty and staff. The meeting had a set order of business for structure and staying within a time frame to ensure each section received the proper amount of attention.
The academic prioritization program initiative started the meeting by discussing ways in which faculty can be optimized to teach courses for students to receive the most from their education. Shortly after, key searches for head positions on campus were highlighted.
Mira Lowe, the newly named dean of the School of Journalism and Graphic Communication, was introduced during the meeting.
“I am excited to start my tenure at SJGC at this esteemed university,” Lowe said. “I am honored to lead at a school we know has a long history of training graduates and alumni. I can’t wait to extend its brand and reputation in this industry and community.”
The election of board chairman and vice chair was conducted. It caused some confusion regarding the protocol of the voting process.
These positions are held for two years and need a two-thirds majority vote for the nominee to be selected. Trustee Kelvin Lawson was re-elected as board chairman and Kimberly Moore was re-elected as vice chair.
“I only have one simple commitment which is to serve and make things happen,” Lawson said. To end his report, Robinson announced NASA’s $1.2 million donation to recruit minority students for the aerospace engineering program.
During the COVID-19 update section, staff from Student Health Services said four students are currently in isolation. The testing and vaccination sites continue to do well and the vaccination rate for students in residence halls is more than 70%, according to Student Health Services.
Student body president Carrington Whigham ended the main portion of the BOT meeting with an SGA update. Whigham announced that Amazon will be having a training session Sept. 23 for all student majors on interviewing skills and soft skills for careers.