Curtis Holcomb, a former FAMU football standout, is on crutches after rupturing his left Achilles tendon during a conditioning test with the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday. The injury is likely to sideline him for his rookie season.

The former FAMU cornerback was set to compete for special teams positions as well as a spot in the defensive backfield.

The 49ers selected Holcomb in the seventh round of the NFL Draft.

In other news, Holcomb’s former teammate Philip Sylvester has reported for duty in Atlanta and received his official spot (pictured below) in the Falcons locker room. Check out the photo, courtesy of FAMU Athletics, after the jump.

FAMU's New Beginnings Educational Research Center for Child Development (NB-ERCCD) has received $10,000 from The Home Depot’s “Retool Your School” initiative.

The competition, among historically black colleges and universities, was part of The Home Depot’s long-standing efforts in support of the black community. Grants were awarded to colleges and universities for school improvement projects. The panel of judges for this competition also scored and heavily weighted the narrative section of all the applicants.

NB-ERCCD intends to use The Home Depot’s funding to install outdoor playground lighting for the evening care program, enhance the outdoor learning environment and make interior building repairs and upgrades that promote energy conservation.

According to U.S. Census data analyzed by the Pew Research Center, the media net worth of a white family now stands at 20 times that of a Black family and 18 times that of a Hispanic family, roughly twice the gap that existed in 1984. The average wealth of white U.S. households in 2009 was $113,149, compared with $6,325 for Hispanics and $5,677 for African Americans.

Here's why according to the Pew researcher Rakesh Kochhar:

"The bursting of the housing bubble in the great recession has been much harder on minority households than on white households. White households have been more diversified -- they are more likely to own stocks and bonds."

Between 2005 and 2009, the median net worth of Hispanic households dropped by 66 percent and that of black households fell by 53 percent, according to the report. In contrast, the median net worth of white households dropped by only 16 percent.

“The lopsided wealth ratios are the largest since the government began publishing such data a quarter century ago,” said the report, “Wealth Gaps Rise to Record Highs Between Whites, Blacks and Hispanics.”

In non-racial financial news, between 2005 and 2009 the wealthiest 10% of households went from owning 49% to 56% of American wealth.

Major renovations are underway at Sampson and Young Halls.

The two dormitories are getting new electrical systems, piping and plumbing, fire doors, and fire sprinklers. They will also be remodeled with better heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.

Sampson (1938) and Young (1929) Halls were both built during the Great Depression. FAMU closed the two dormitories in 2003 due to various building code violations.

On September 19, 2010, Rattler Nation broke the news that FAMU had received a $700,000 federal grant to help renovate Sampson. The university has secured bonds to cover the rest of the costs associated with bringing Sampson and Young up to code.

University officials hope to re-open the dormitories as soon as Fall 2011. The two halls will add 208 beds to campus. FAMU’s housing department currently has a total of 2,484 beds.

Former Vice-President of Student Affairs Roland H. Gaines and current Vice-President for Student Affairs William E. Hudson, Jr. have both stated that the expansion of on-campus housing will help improve FAMU’s six-year graduation rate. Campus housing helps students save money and afford more credit hours.

Nazarius Saah Lamango, an associate professor of medicinal chemistry in the FAMU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, received a patent to treat cancers using compounds that block the activity of a unique enzyme. The activity of this enzyme is elevated in some tumors. Specifically, inhibiting the excess amounts of this enzyme would diminish its ability to process the target protein into the forms that promote tumor cell growth.

Lamango further explains how this patent can benefit society.

“The patent describes compounds that can be used to inhibit the activity of an enzyme that we have found to be abnormally high in the tumors of some patients,” said Lamango. “By being able to use these compounds to bring the abnormally high enzyme activities in the tumors down to normal physiological levels, their ability to spur tumor growth will also be inhibited. When further developed into drugs, these compounds will constitute a new class of anticancer drugs with a novel mechanism of action.”

Lamango’s work was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH is the agency of the U.S. Federal Government tasked with managing the biomedical research budget.


According to Lamango, this enzyme, which is the target of the compounds described in the patent, is a member of a biochemical pathway for processing proteins, some of which regulate cell growth. Some of these proteins have been known for over a decade to play roles in some cancers and are said to be oncogenic, the potential of a gene to cause cancer.

Lamango explained that while conducting research on Parkinson’s disease, he found that this pathway may be involved, albeit in an opposite fashion, in degenerative disorders.

“It was astonishing that researchers have not paid more attention to the fact that degenerative disorders may share some common biochemical pathways with cancers,” he said. “Suspecting that this key enzyme may be suppressed in degenerative disorders, we began making inhibitors that could be used to inhibit it and see if cultured nerve cells will degenerate in a similar fashion as in degenerative disorders. The thought that these inhibitors could be useful in anticancer treatment solidifies what we have been pursuing ever since.”

What inspired Lamango to pursue this patent? He expressed that any research that will contribute to diminish cancer needs careful attention.

“I know people who have had cancer and passed away from the disease,” said Lamango. “The thought of being diagnosed with a cancer is always scary. The statistics that more than 12 million people were diagnosed with cancer worldwide in 2008 and that more than 7 million people actually died from it is a daunting statistic...Therefore, no matter how you look at it, cancer is never far from the mind. As a researcher, any thought or research finding that could lead to a contribution in diminishing the impact of cancer on society is always worthy of careful attention.”

Lamango is an individual that is no stranger to securing patents. He has one patent that is licensed by a private biotechnology company.

In 2002, he received a patent (US patent number 6,372,793) regarding a method for treatment of a neurological disease characterized by an impaired neurological function. In 2006, it was licensed to Signum Bioscience, Inc.

Lamango received his bachelor of science degree in agricultural chemistry and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Leeds, United Kingdom. He also received postdoctoral training from Louisiana State University Medical Center in New Orleans, La.

He holds memberships with the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the America Association for the Advancement of Science.

The Rattler Football Team will hold its annual Media Day and Fan Appreciation Day on Saturday, August 13 at the Alfred Lawson, Jr., Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The FAMU Football players and coaching staff will available to the media from 2p.m. to 4 p.m.

Then the doors will open to the public at 4 p.m. for 2011 FAMU Football Fan Appreciation Day. Fans, Family and Alumni will be able to mingle with their favorite Rattler Football player or coach as well get their 2011 FAMU Football poster autographed.

FAMU will kickoff their 2011 season as they will host Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference member Fort Valley State University on Saturday, Sept. 3 at Bragg Memorial Stadium in a 6 p.m. contest.

FAMU College of Law Professor Karin Moore attended much of the Casey Anthony trial and served as one of the national media’s go-to persons for legal analysis on the case. Now that Anthony has been acquitted of charges that she murdered her two-year-old daughter, Moore thinks the former defendant faces danger. Anthony was released from the Orange County Jail in Orlando at 12:14 a.m. on Sunday, July 17, 2011.

“I'd hear the public talking in the bathroom or in the hall about what they'd love to do to Casey Anthony,” Moore told TIME Magazine. “I understand the anger. I just don't understand the bloodlust.”

Moore has also been interviewed and quoted by CNN, ABC News, MSNBC, USA Today, and People Magazine regarding the Anthony case.

At the FAMU law school, Moore directs the Defense and Death Penalty Clinics. Moore was previously a criminal defense attorney for 22 years in Florida. She tried more than 100 jury trials including nine homicide trials, two of which were death penalty cases.

Moore and FAMU Law Dean LeRoy Pernell have worked to use the Anthony trial as a learning opportunity for students. Last month, the two were featured on a Central Florida News 13 segment produced by Reporter Tiffany Green, a FAMU alumna. Pernell, who has a background in Criminal Law, discussed how the proceedings allowed students to see the law in action, while Moore, an expert in Death Penalty and Evidence, responded to the forensic science introduced in the trial.

FAMU alumni Will Packer and Rob Hardy have begun production of the movie, “Think Like a Man,” a comedic adaptation of actor and comedian Steve Harvey’s New York Times best-selling book, Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man.

In the film, four interconnected and diverse friends have their love lives shaken up after the women they are pursuing buy Harvey’s book and start taking his advice to heart. When the band of brothers find out that they have been betrayed by one of their own, they conspire to use the book’s teachings to turn the tables.

The film stars Kevin Hart, Chris Brown, Michael Ealy, Jerry Ferrara, Meagan Good Regina Hall, Taraji P. Henson, Gabrielle Union and others.

“Steve Harvey has established himself as one of the funniest and most insightful voices in America,” Packer said. “That coupled with an incredible cast makes this an exciting venture.”

“Think Like A Man” is scheduled for release on April 6, 2012.

Packer and Hardy started their production company, Rainforest Films, in 1994. One of their most successful projects, “Stomp the Yard,” grossed more than $65 million and held the No. 1 position at the box office for two weekends in January of 2007. Later that year, the company produced “This Christmas,” which made $50 million. The success of both projects landed the duo amongst the “Top 25 Entertainers and Moneymakers” in Black Enterprise magazine in 2008.

FAMU officials have confirmed that construction is about to begin on the university's Crestview Education Center. A chain link fence now surrounds the center's future home in the downtown Alatex building.

FAMU Director of Governmental Relations Tola Thompson told the Crestview News Bulletin that the university recently hired a construction manager and submitted building plans to the City of Crestview.

The project will kick off by the end of July and take ten to 11 months to complete. FAMU expects to begin classes in the Alatex building in Fall 2012.

Former state Sen. Durell Peaden (R-Crestview) steered a total of $11M into FAMU’s budget during the 2009 and 2010 legislative sessions in order to cover the start-up costs for the Crestview Education Center. He also secured $1.5M in recurring money in 2010 for FAMU to use for salaries and operational costs at the center. The current Florida budget grants FAMU another $1.5M to continue funding the campus.

The Crestview center will be FAMU Pharmacy’s first degree-granting satellite location. The pharmacy school’s campuses in Jacksonville, Miami, and Tampa do not offer full degrees. They are used as clinical training divisions for advanced students.

Heads are shaking all over Rattler Country in response to the fact that Board of Trustees Chairman Bill Jennings has taken a position on President James H. Ammons’ bonus that is very different from the one he took on former Interim President Castell V. Bryant’s.

At the September 23, 2010 board meeting, Jennings confirmed that he planned to meet with Ammons to discuss “restructuring” the bonus clause of the president’s contract. Jennings never asked for any changes in Castell’s bonus clause despite everything she did to nearly run FAMU into the ground.

Jennings negotiates bonus clause for Ammons

Jennings negotiated the bonus clause in Ammons’s contract back in 2007. The clause states: “Based upon his achievement of annual goals and objectives…Dr. Ammons shall receive an annual performance bonus. It is intended that said annual performance bonus shall be in the range of 25% to 35% of the annual base salary.”

Ammons’ base salary is $325,000 per year. In 2009, he accepted a 35 percent, or $113,750 bonus. It was based on his achievement of objectives such as restoring clean financial statement audits to FAMU and getting the university off probation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Ammons gave 50 percent of his bonus to the FAMU National Alumni Association.

The president accepted a $81,000 or 25 percent bonus in 2010. That bonus came six months after Ammons led FAMU to a ten-year reaffirmation of its SACS accreditation. In voting to award the bonus at the minimum 25 percent level, trustees said the decision was not a criticism of Ammons’ performance but a response to the tough economic situation that FAMU faces.

Jennings stays quiet about Castell's bonus

Jennings was absent from the board meeting on December 1, 2005 when trustees voted to give Castell a $35,000 bonus and a contract extension of two years. But he never publicly raised any objection to those decisions. On March 2, 2006, Jennings actually made the formal request for trustees to grant Castell a $50,000 raise, which was approved. The pay increase took Castell’s total salary up to $300,000.

The $35,000 bonus and raise $50,000 raise, totaling $85,000, were primarily based on Castell’s claim that she created an $8M surplus in 2004-2005 and straightened out the financial books.


Both of those claims turned out to be completely false. State auditors found that Castell really created a $10.4M deficit. The books were in such bad shape that FAMU received its first ever qualified state audit in 2004-2005. That was followed by another qualified audit in 2005-2006. Castell’s 2006 operational audit was worst in FAMU history with 35 findings.

Jennings never asked the Board of Trustees to revisit Castell’s bonus or raise despite all those problems. He did not state any concern about whether FAMU could afford to let her keep that money despite the big dollars FAMU lost from declining enrollment and wrongful termination case settlement costs during the Castell years. Many Rattlers wondered if it was because he and Castell were looking out for one another.

In 2005, Castell fired Law School Dean Percy Luney. The ouster followed news that lawyer Shirley Cunningham had been employed in the $1M chair he endowed at law school and was receiving a salary of $100,000. The Cunningham contract was authorized by former President Fred J. Gainous in 2003.

An investigation by the Orlando Sentinel found out that: “In June 2003, Orlando International Airport Executive Director Bill Jennings, a FAMU trustee, called a meeting with Luney, Cunningham and Gainous, who had become FAMU's president the previous summer. It was here, Luney and Cunningham contend, that a deal was struck to pay the lawyer $100,000 a year to advise the law school and raise funds.”

Later that same year, Castell told the Miami Herald that Gainous, former President Frederick S. Humphries, and former Provost Larry Robinson had been summoned by federal prosecutors for questioning. She did not mention that Jennings was summoned for questioning, too.

The federal prosecutors called all four men for witness questioning about Cunningham’s actions. None of them were actual subjects of the investigation.

FAMUans deserve answers

Many FAMUans continue to openly wonder why Castell did not tell the newspaper about the fact that Jennings was also summoned for questioning by the feds. Was Castell trying to protect Jennings from embarrassment because he was one of her top supporters? Did this have anything to do with Jennings’ decision not to speak out about Castell receiving a bonus and raise that were heavily based on claims that turned out to be untrue?

These questions still have not been answered. FAMUans deserve to know why Jennings has suddenly taken such a different position on Ammons’ bonus payments.

FAMU Head Women's Track and Cross Country Coach Darlene Moore recently announced her signees for the class of 2011. The Lady Rattlers are coming off of a much-improved season, placing fifth in the conference championship, which is up five spots from the previous year.

"In my second recruiting class, we concentrated on filling the voids from last year's season. This class was tailored to improve our team performances in the MEAC Championships. Not only will these ladies help us athletically, but our continued effort to excel academically, in effect raising our APR, which is so critical. These young ladies come from winning programs and we expect nothing less from them here at FAMU," Moore said.


Nadine Mulvany(pictured)- Distance- Southwestern Junior College, Chula Vista, CA. Finished 4th in Southern California Championship and 7th in California State Championship. Her cross country team won both of these Championships. In cross country, her personal best is 18:05. On the track, Nadine is capable of running the 800m and up. She is a History Major with a 3.12 GPA. Nadine was also recruited by San Jose State University, Northern Michigan and Howard University.

Dynasty Jones- Sprinter- Butler Community College, El Dorado, KS. A 2009 graduate of Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, FL, Dynasty is a four-time NCAA Junior College All-American in the 200m and 400m dashes. Her personal best are 55.06 in the 400m, 24.05 in the 200m and 11.89 in the 100m dash. She is a Criminal Justice Major with a 3.01 GPA. Dynasty was also recruited by Wichita State University and Bethune-Cookman University.

Brittany Brown- Pole Vaulter- Brookwood High School, Snellville, GA. Finished 2nd in the pole vault at the 2011 Georgia State Track Meet. Her personal best is 10'6". Brittany will major in Physical Therapy and has a 3.46 GPA. Brittany was also recruited by Kennesaw State University, Alabama State University, North Carolina A&T University and Bethune-Cookman University.

Kinnesha Jones- Jumper/Sprinter- Butler Community College, El Dorado, KS. A 2009 graduate of Boyd Anderson High School in Lauderdale Lakes, FL, Kinnesha will mainly focus on the jumps for the Lady Rattlers Track Team. She is a four-time NCAA Junior College All-American in the long jump and triple jump. Her personal bests are 19'5 ¼" in the long jump and 40' 2" in the triple jump. She is a Physical Therapy Major with a 3.09 GPA. Kinnesha was also recruited by University of South Florida, Louisiana Tech, Eastern Illinois University and Wichita State University.

Sasha-Ann Lebert- Thrower- Fort Lauderdale High School, Fort Lauderdale, FL. State Champion (2010) and State Runner-up (2011) in the Shot Put. Also finished 3rd in the Discus at the 2011 State Meet. Her personal best are 42'8" in the Shot Put and 134'2" in the Discus. She is a Pre-Med Major with a 3.57 GPA. Sasha was also recruited by University of Central Florida.

Ciera Williams- Distance- Winter Park High School, Winter Park, FL. A four-time State Cross Country participant with a personal best of 19:14. She also ran on the 4 x 800m Relay that finished 3rd at the 2011 Florida 4-A State Meet. She is a Pharmacy Major with a 3.38 GPA. Ciera was also recruited by University of Central Florida and University of North Florida.

The National Ten Pin Coaches Association, has named five members of the FAMU Lady Rattlers' bowling team to it's All-Academic team. Jazmin Bingham, Kiana Cogdell, Gina Davis, Lauren Mathews and Samantha Mighty, were all bestowed the honor.

Coach Sheila Martin, who doubles as the FAMU athletic department's compliance coordinator for finance, pushed her team to do everything necessary to be successful in the classroom.

Proportionately, that represents 55% of the total team of nine players. All members of the bowling team maintained a 3.0 or better grade point average. In order to make the NTPCA All-Academic team, they needed to achieve a 3.4 minimum GPA. Martin's squad also won the award for having the highest team GPA in FAMU Athletics.

Martin was ecstatic to learn about her team's academic success.

"It's an honor, knowing that they accomplishing the on and off the field concept of being a student first. The academic support of having the proper advisors to put their schedules in tact and maintaining a mandatory study hall for road games was key to this accomplishment. Being diligent in making sure that they turned in all of their excuses when we returned from road trips was essential as well. Our advisor, Travis Green, was instrumental in keeping us on track and assisting as we tracked our team's progress through the semester. It required remaining focused to prevent them from getting burned out, but maintaining their level of performance on and off the court," Martin said.

This week, new FAMU Developmental Research School (DRS) Superintendent Patricia C. Hodge shared her vision for taking Baby Rattler education to the next level. One of her biggest priorities will be increasing research opportunities for FAMU faculty and FAMU DRS faculty.

According to the Sidney Martin Developmental Research School Act of 1991, “each lab school shall emphasize mathematics, science, computer science, and foreign languages. The primary goal of a lab school is to enhance instruction and research in such specialized subjects by using the resources available on a state university campus, while also providing an education in nonspecialized subjects.”

The act encourages university professors to work collaboratively with DRS faculty to accomplish those goals. There are numerous opportunities for FAMU DRS to develop closer partnerships with the university’s College of Education, College of Arts & Sciences, and College of Engineering.

“I am very excited about the opportunity,” said Hodge, a Pompano Beach native. “This school has a long history of educating African-American students and I am excited to be a part of that.”

Hodge added that she also wants to expand FAMU DRS’ participation in dual enrollment, increase advanced placement offerings, and add more early education programs for the school’s pre-K and elementary students.

Prior to serving as the principal for Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Schools, Hodge worked as the assistant principal for the school system. While working with Lloyd Estates Elementary School in Broward County, her major functions were administration, supervision, fiscal management, grant writing and parent and community involvement.

Under her leadership from 2002-2004, FAU Schools achieved an A school rating, achieved AYP annually and created the Targeted Assistance Program, which helped students who were having difficulties with their academics. She also supervised all expenditures, authored various competitive grants and served as the interim chair of transition for the School Advisory Board.

U.S. President Barack Obama has nominated FAMU alumnus Kendrick B. Meek to be one of three United States representatives to the Sixty-sixth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. The appointment will make Meek an ambassador in the U.S. Department of State.

“These fine public servants both bring a depth of experience and tremendous dedication to their new roles. Our nation will be well-served by these men and women, and I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come,” Obama said of Meek and other recent nominees.

If confirmed by the Senate, Meek will become part of the leadership team of the U.S. Permanent Mission to the United Nations (USUN) led by Ambassador Susan E. Rice.

USUN, founded in 1947, serves as the United States’ delegation to the United Nations. USUN is responsible for carrying out the nation’s participation in the world body. Its New York office is staffed by 150 people who represent the United States’ political, economic and social, legal, military, public diplomacy and management interests at the UN.

Meek is president of KBM Solutions LLC, a consulting firm focusing on disaster recovery, humanitarian assistance, emergency medical relief, and Chairman of the Editorial Board of Politic365, an online news source for policy and politics affecting communities of color. From 2002 to 2010, he represented the 17th Congressional District of Florida.

Obama endorsed Meek’s bid to become the junior U.S. Senator from Florida in 2010 and released a radio advertisement to support him.

The bright moment of the new FAMU Developmental Research School (DRS) superintendent being introduced at last month’s Board of Trustees meeting was muddied by the sight of Chairman Bill Jennings clapping his hands as if he is an actual supporter of the K-12 program. Over the past several years Jennings has shown himself to be anything but a friend of the Baby Rattlers.

June 30, 2010 was the date that DRS was saved from Jennings and the Holmes brothers. Ronald Holmes finally resigned from the superintendent position on that day after years of taking the school backwards.

Ronald let the DRS school grade on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) slide backwards from a “C” in 2008 to a “D” in 2009. The grade finally returned to a “C” in 2010. Ronald’s failure to recruit enough students to satisfy the demands of the 2009-2010 year’s budget threatened nine teaching jobs before FAMU President James H. Ammons  dipped into university coffers to provide a $425,802 bailout to deficits at the school.

On February 22, 2010 Rattler Nation reported that the BOT led by Jennings was complicit in protecting Ronald.

Jennings and R.B. Holmes (Ronald’s older brother) had a history of scratching each others’ backs. At the May 24, 2007 meeting R.B. nominated Jennings for the board chairmanship. Jennings then supported R.B. for vice-chairman.


Jennings went on to strongly defend Ronald after Rattlers expressed anger about his appointment as DRS superintendent later that year. Many Rattlers openly questioned whether Ammons actually had a choice when it came to the hiring decision in 2007. There was no doubt that as one of the seven critical votes that Ammons needed to become FAMU’s president, R.B. had the power to twist Ammons’ arm and make personal demands during the selection process.

Ronald had no experience as the chief administrator of any K-12 school. Jennings still defended Ronald’s credentials anyway.

"I would have a different feeling if ... it was someone who was clearly not qualified," Jennings told the St. Petersburg Times.

Shortly after R.B. personally nominated Jennings for reelection as BOT chairman in 2009, word spread on campus that there was an understanding that Holmes’ brother would not be summoned before the BOT to answer tough questions about what he had done to DRS. For that reason it did not surprise many FAMUans when Jennings declined to bring Ronald before the board to talk about the ongoing crisis at the K-12 school from 2009 through 2010.

Jennings’ silence on DRS led Rattler Nation to editorialize on June 2, 2010 that: “Holmes and Jennings, the two longest serving board members, have shown that they have no loyalty to DRS. Their only loyalty is to their own selfish goals.”

The lack of loyalty that Jennings showed to DRS cannot be forgotten now that a new superintendent is in place. Disloyalty to DRS is disloyalty to FAMU. FAMU deserves better on its in Board of Trustees.

FAMU’s occupational therapy program was placed on probation by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) on April 17, 2011 for failing to meet the required 70 percent first-time passage rate benchmark on the national licensure examination despite the fact that its overall passage rate is about 90 percent.

ACOTE only counts first-time passage rates on the National Certification Examination for Occupational Therapists for the purpose of accreditation.

For example, six out of FAMU’s 14 occupational therapy graduates passed the certification exam during their first try between 2007 and 2009. That gave the program a 42 percent first-try passage rate for those years. Most of those students did go on to pass the exam when they retook the test.

FAMU is currently maintaining a 50 percent first-try passage rate. The overwhelming majority of its students continue to pass the test during retakes.

According to ACOTE, “probationary accreditation is usually limited to 1 year. It may not extend beyond 2 years.”

FAMU established its Division of Occupational Therapy in the School of Allied Health back in 1989. It awarded more than 200 baccalaureate degrees up to 2006, after which it was transitioned into a master’s level program. The program’s website states that occupational therapy practitioners “work with persons of all ages and cultural backgrounds whose independence has been impacted by physical and/or mental injury or illness, developmental or learning disabilities, or adverse environmental conditions.”

The Division of Occupational Therapy is not the only FAMU program that has struggled with its first-time passage rates on critical exams but still maintained a very high overall passage rate.

Many FAMU College of Law students take the bar exam two to three times before passing. The law school’s overall passage rate is close to 80 percent. A 75 percent overall bar passage rate meets the requirements of the American Bar Association (ABA). The ABA counts overall passage rates for the purpose of accreditation, unlike ACOTE.

Coach Carl Goodman has reason to smile, as his 2011-2012 edition of the Rattler tennis team looks to be off to a good start. First team All-MEAC star Levan Clark and highly-touted junior college national champion Salif Kante took home both the singles and doublestitles at the Southeastern NCAA ITA Summer Circuit Tournament this weekend at Florida State.

Clark and Kante took the doubles title with an 8-3 dominating performance, despite this being their first full-fledged tournament playing together. Kante, would later best Clark in the championship match of the singles event. Kante, went (6-2, 7-6,7-3), in defeating Clark for the singles title.

The Florida Division of Motor Vehicles records show that FAMU tag sales produced a total of $519,550 in sales during 2009-2010. The University of Florida tag produced $2,925,750 in total sales, the top amount in the entire state.  Overall, tag sales generated $6.3M for the entire State University System of Florida.

The FAMU tag outsold a number of notable competitors that included the Florida Marlins ($69,425), Orlando Magic ($104,250), Jacksonville Jaguars ($270,250), University of Central Florida ($374,575), University of South Florida ($412,069), and Miami Heat ($504,425).

The DMV sold 17,658 FAMU tags in 2010, 21,594 in 2009, 20,961 in 2008, 20,659 in 2007, 20,616 in 2006, and 20,356 in 2005.

A FAMU tag costs an additional $25.00 on top of the regular auto registration fees. The money from tag sales goes to “academic enhancement” at the university.

FAMU has participated in the specialty license plate program since 1987.

Several student-athletes from the Rattler basketball and football teams participated in a young male lock-in this weekend at the Terrence H. Fregly Community Center in the Macon Community in Tallahassee. The event was hosted by the Tallahassee Housing Authority, and coordinated by Anthony Davis, Human Resources Director for THA. The event drew over 50 kids, who spent Friday evening thru Saturday afternoon in the facility, for a weekend of fun and encouragement.

On Friday evening, six members of the Rattler basketball squad totally embraced the opportunity to play along with and coach the youth, in a tournament that was the highlight event of the weekend. Amin Stevens, Chris Watson, Isaac Brown, Avery Moore, Brandon Hosley and Yannick Crowder drafted their teams from the audience in a selection process and played a "Round Robin" tournament on the Fregly Center court.

Each basketball player introduced themselves and told the kids their hometowns and majors. The players then gave advice to the youth, emphasizing the difference in being a kid in a community center and a college athlete is a dedication to a cause. The players certainly understood their purpose for being at the event.

Local favorite, Avery Moore, garnered the most applause at his introduction because the young men followed his success at Rickards High School. "What we're trying to do is give back to our community. There are kids out there that don't have someone like a big brother to help guide them or somebody to look up to. We just came out to support the effort of the housing authority. I understand that kids look at me as a role model, but I want to show them that I came from the same place as they did. I just worked my way up because I had people who looked out for me as I was coming up," said Moore.


At several points in the basketball games, it was obvious the Rattler basketball players were having as much fun or more than the kids. Their expression said it all. Evidence of this can be viewed in the photo gallery attached to the story.

Chris Watson, verified this in saying, "It's a pleasure helping the younger kids and we're having a good time out here. I know they'll gain inspiration and courage from our visit. Just like them, I came from the projects...came from a hard road and I used basketball as my outlet."

While the winning team of the tournament was an irrelevant issue, because the tournament was all about teamwork, the kids showed a determination that can be used to propel them far in the future. The staff of the retreat enjoyed the game as well. To staffers, it proved that they made the right decision to host the lock-in.

After an overnight stay in the center, the boys woke up to guests including Commissioner Andrew Gillum, County Commissioner Nick Maddox, Dr. Ken Fowler and members of the Rattler Football team.

Gillum, put on a brief forum about young men presenting themselves in a positive manner. He taught the kids how to do execute a proper handshake, how to sit and how to stand in proper posture to exude confidence. The young men used the handshaking technique for the remainder of the day.

The Rattler football players, were the center of attention on the Saturday morning session. Players included Kevin Elliott, Anthony Shutt, Shelly Anthony, Brandon Curry, Trevor Scott, Austin Trainor and Jerry Willis.

The football players introduced themselves to the kids and broke off into small discussion groups. Nothing was off limits for the kids to ask in the forums. The players wanted to keep it informative, but real to the kids.

Anthony Shutt, felt the experience was fulfilling. "It was a really good experience. I have a lot of young family members like them, and with no leadership, most have been in trouble with hanging around the wrong group. Talking to them about how athletics brought us a scholarship for us to pursue our dreams was interesting to them."

Amin Stevens, summed up the weekend saying, "It feels good to have the opportunity to show kids the right path. Hopefully this will help them stay out of trouble and encourage them to go to school. Hopefully they want to go to college and possibly play a sport, but it is important that they have an avenue to direct their energy."

The National Science Foundation (NSF) bragged on the success of FAMU's Center of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) in a recent edition of the U.S. News & World Report.

Back in 2006, NSF awarded FAMU a $5,165,603 five-year grant to establish CREST. CREST focuses on education and research in the field of astrophysics. A central objective of the center is to increase the number of African-Americans who earn PhDs in Astrophysics and Astrochemistry. The Center supports collaboration between the FAMU physics and chemistry departments and will facilitate the startup of a PhD program in Chemistry.

The principal investigator for CREST is Charles Weatherford (pictured), chairman of the FAMU Department of Physics.

FAMU's current CREST grant expires this year. But this positive article written by NSF's own staff shows that CREST probably has a good chance of being renewed. If this happens, it will be outstanding news for the Chemistry PhD development process.

From the article: "Center for Research Excellence Builds Competitiveness"

Few African Americans earn doctorates in physics. The class of 2007, for example, produced only 13 nationwide, according to the American Institute of Physics. Remarkably, five of them came from Florida A&M University (FAMU), whose program only began in 2001.


“There is an untapped pool of potential American talent, and we wanted to do something about it,” says Dr. Charles A. Weatherford, chairman of the university’s physics department and director of the university’s Center for Astrophysical Science and Technology, where students conduct much of their research. Moreover, FAMU is an Historically Black College or University (HBUC), one of 105 in the country, a designation that “does help to create a certain level of comfort from the start,” he adds.

“There is palpable expectation that the students are going to succeed,” Weatherford says. “This is the expectation of the students and the faculty alike. On a practical level, the faculty seldom has more than one Ph.D. student at a time, and thus there is a more concentrated interaction. Our faculty interacts with the students on a daily basis and the students are never allowed to stagnate.”

The university has produced ten Ph.D. physics graduates, eight of them African American, since its research-oriented degree program began, including nine during the period of the astrophysical science center. The center is among the National Science Foundation’s Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST), a program established 20 years ago to support research at minority-serving institutions in the United States.

The goal of CREST is to build the competitiveness of schools serving minorities, and to increase the recruitment and retention of diverse individuals in academic programs geared toward careers in science, math and technology. The FAMU center, now in its fifth year, receives about $1 million annually from NSF.

“We have been able to fully support our students in terms of tuition and stipends so that they typically do not have financial pressure,” Weatherford says.

Read the full article here at the U.S. News & World Report.

The FAMU Foundation bounced back from its sharp decline last fiscal year, increasing from $89M in 2009 to $96M in 2010 for a total gain of $7M.

The foundation’s net assets were hurt by the national recession. They dropped from $114M in 2008 to $89M in 2009 for a loss of approximately $25M.

FAMU’s endowment currently ranks sixth in the State University System of Florida.

The FAMU Foundation's ability to quickly recover from the tough economy is a credit to the strong leadership it has received from chairs such as Col. Brodes Hartley, attorney Daryl Parks, Judge Joseph Hatchett, physician Joseph Webster, and physician Alfreda Blackshear over recent years.

FAMU Foundation Net Assets

2005: $94M
2006: $104M
2007: $119M
2008: $114M
2009: $89M
2010: $96M

Sources: FAMU IPEDS Reports, Chronicle of Higher Education, and Florida Trend.

FAMU President James H. Ammons is not happy that his alma mater came in behind North Carolina A&T in awarding baccalaureates to black students. But he recently told university trustees that he is confident FAMU will top A&T again soon.

Data published by Diverse Issues in Higher Education shows that NCA&T is now the #1 not-for-profit producer of blacks with baccalaureate degrees. It graduated 1,253 in 2009-2010 to FAMU’s 1,165.

The for-profit University of Phoenix-Online Campus was #1 overall in awarding baccalaureates to blacks with 2,181.

FAMU held the top overall spot in graduating blacks with baccalaureate degrees for 12 years from 1995 until 2007. In 2008 and 2009, FAMU was still #1 among not-for-profit colleges and universities.

The Class of 2008 was large because it was recruited by former President Frederick S. Humphries. The Class of 2009 was recruited by former President Fred Gainous. With the exception of the focus on National Achievement Scholars, Gainous followed Humphries’ example in building enrollment.

The enrollment numbers for the Class of 2010 recruited by Gainous were not quite enough to edge out NCA&T.


FAMU could fall even further behind over the next few years. On September 28, 2004, Gainous was fired. He was replaced in January by then-Interim President Castell Bryant, who tore the recruitment program (and just about everything else) to shreds and refused to honor many of the student scholarship offers that Gainous made.

FAMU went from a record enrollment of 13,070 students in Fall 2004 to 12,176 in Fall 2005. The numbers continued to tumble down to 11,913 in Fall 2006 and 11,567 in Fall 2007.

The downward slide in FAMU's fall semester "first time in college" (FTIC) numbers continued until Ammons rebuilt the Humphries recruitment program in 2007-2008.

2000: 1,943 (Class of 2006)
2001: 1,916 (Class of 2007)
2002: 1,898 (Class of 2008)
2003: 2,144 (Class of 2009)
2004: 2,013 (Class of 2010)
2005: 1,459 (Class of 2011)
2006: 1,458 (Class of 2012)
2007: 1,575 (Class of 2013)
2008: 1,820 (Class of 2014)
2009: 2,045 (Class of 2015)
2010: 2,119 (Class of 2016)

Source: FAMU Fact Books

The first class that Ammons recruited will not graduate until Sping 2015. FAMU will have a good chance of being the #1 not-for-profit producer of blacks with baccalaureate degrees by that year.

NCA&T’s strong performance is an accomplishment of former Chancellor James C. Renick. Renick boosted enrollment there every year from 1993 to 2006. FAMU will have to watch out for Jackson State University now that Renick has left his senior vice-president position with the American Council of Education to join that school as its senior executive assistant to the president for special programs.

FAMU alumnus Larry O. Rivers became the first African American to successfully defend a doctoral dissertation in Vanderbilt University’s Department of History. Rivers, who currently teaches history at Augusta State University in Augusta, Ga., recently returned to Nashville, Tenn. to participate in his graduate alma mater’s commencement ceremony.

“My FAMU education really helped me refine my skills as a researcher, writer and critical thinker,” Rivers said. “That solid foundation prepared me to excel in the rigorous environment of a top-level national research university.”

Larry’s parents watched proudly as he received his doctoral hood and crossed the stage. His mother, Betty H. Rivers, formerly worked in administrative positions for the City of Tallahassee and finished her career as business services manager for the Tallahassee Regional Airport. His father, Larry E. Rivers, taught history at FAMU and served as dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. He is now the president of Fort Valley State University. Larry also has one younger brother, Linjé, who is a legal counsel for the Florida Department of Financial Services.


“Vanderbilt provided me with many phenomenal educational experiences,” Rivers said. “Not only did this institution give me an opportunity to work with leading national experts in the field of African American religion, it also permitted me to study with living legends of the struggle for educational equality and civil rights.”

One of those “living legends” was former FAMU President Frederick S. Humphries, who served as a Distinguished Visiting Research Professor at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College in 2007-2008. Another was the Rev. James M. Lawson, Jr., a Distinguished Visiting University Professor who was one of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s lieutenants during the Civil Rights Movement.


Rivers, a recipient of the prestigious Harold Stirling Vanderbilt Fellowship, wrote his dissertation on the late Rev. Dr. James Hudson, a former professor of philosophy and university chaplain at FAMU from 1946 to 1973. The biography focuses on Hudson’s role in launching the 1956 Tallahassee Bus Boycott and setting the foundation for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s rise as the premier spokesman of the Civil Rights Movement.

Vanderbilt Professor Dennis C. Dickerson, who holds the James M. Lawson, Jr. Chair in History and also serves as the Historiographer of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, advised Rivers’ research.

“The Rivers dissertation, done at Vanderbilt University, will be a book and a scholarly statement about engaged African-American intellectuals and their connection with those less fortunate than themselves,” Dickerson said. “Dr. Rivers, at his young age, has already distinguished himself as a scholar to watch in coming years.”

Throughout the course of his research, Rivers relied heavily upon the James Hudson Papers Collection compiled by FAMU Professor E. Murell Dawson, director of the Carrie Meek-James N. Eaton, Sr. Southeastern Regional Black Archives Research Center and Museum.

At FAMU, Rivers majored in public relations. He was a National Achievement Scholar, Presidential Distinguished Scholar, and John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Journalism Scholar. The School of Journalism and Graphic Communication named him the “Outstanding Student in Journalism” (2003), “Outstanding Student in Public Relations” (2004), and “Outstanding Public Relations Writer” (2004). Additionally, Rivers was elected FAMU student body president for the 2003-2004 school year. In 2003, he won Seat IV on the Ochlockonee River Soil & Water Conservation Board with 28,870 votes, becoming the youngest elected official in Leon County, Florida. Rivers was also a member of the Beta Nu Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. As a college freshman, he authored a book chronicling the history of the FAMU College of Law which was published by the FAMU Foundation, Inc.

Last week, students in the Raising Agricultural and Technologically Literate Rattlers (RATL) summer camp got a chance to meet and chat with former FAMU President Frederick S. Humphries.

RATL is a pre-college program run by the College of Engineering, Science, Technology, and Agriculture (CESTA). It introduces high school students to CESTA's faculty, research facilities, and degree programs. The camp aims to inspire the students to pursue agricultural studies on The Hill.

Four days of instruction to aspiring athletes ended on Thursday with the first-ever 7-on-7 tournament during the Joe Taylor era on the campus of FAMU.

The week started with three days of instruction for young football players at the inaugural Joe Taylor Football Camp at FAMU. Nearly 50 kids came and received instruction from the entire FAMU Rattlers football coaching staff. Ranging in age from 8-18, the players were treated to group instruction as well as individualized instruction.

Coach Joe Taylor was pleased that he and his staff began the camp. "You have to take your first step, and we stepped out on faith," Taylor said. He also said he was very pleased with the camp and confident that with the success of the first camp, coaches and players would flock to next year's edition.

On Thursday, six teams including a team from Alabama, FAMU DRS and Wakulla High School competed in the Round Robin tournament. Unfortunately, after some very exciting games to start the tournament, a severe thunderstorm caused the cancellation of the championship round. Wakulla and FAMU DRS were both poised to compete for the championship.