Since 2018, Florida A&M University has successfully maintained its position as an ongoing recipient of the Carnegie R2 Designation program due to the university’s high research activity that allotted the university $66 million in research awards along with $50 million in research spending in 2021.
Prior to 2018, FAMU had been listed as a Carnegie R3 Designation program.
FAMU is one of only nine HBCUs that have sustained or recently gained their R2 status among the more than 100 HBCUs in the United States.
Charles Weatherford, vice president of research at FAMU, expressed his gratitude for the individuals who have played a key role in the accolades FAMU receives.
“The FAMU faculty and, on occasion, FAMU staff write the proposals. Without them, we would not be in operation. It is faculty knowledge and hard work in, which many times is not rewarded, that produces the record funding we have recently received,” Weatherford told The Famuan.
Weatherford is a firm advocate that such funding provides students with proper experiences that warrant aiding in their future career endeavors.
“Research funding provides research equipment and student support for doing research. Students who have done research have a much greater chance of getting high-paying jobs in their chosen field,” Weatherford adds.
FAMU President Larry Robinson continues to encourage the ongoing development within FAMU’s research program, striving to surpass the university’s R2 ranking and join Florida State University and the University of Florida as an R1 institution.
“FAMU is committed to expanding the scope and impact of our research through increased funding and growth of relevant graduate degree programs. Our R2 designation reflects progress in recent years and our determination to do more. Our faculty, staff, and of course, our students are major contributors to our success. We now have our sights firmly set on obtaining R1 status,” Robinson said in an interview with Andrew Skerritt in FAMU’s Office of Communications.
Sharing the FAMU faculty’s perspective, Florida State University graduate, Yakira Taylor, acknowledges FAMU’s efforts when it pertains to equipping its students with top-tier forms of learning.
“I’ve always admired FAMU and their efforts to provide high-end education for the students that enroll in their university,” Taylor said.
Robinson, who is among the faculty bringing in research grants, said he hopes that by 2030, FAMU will have reached R1 status in the program as research continues to progress.