Damien Fleming is the new starting quarterback for the Rattler football team.

Head Coach Joe Taylor announced the change following Fleming’s strong performance in Saturday’s Atlanta Classic against Southern University. Taylor decided to hand the ball Fleming during the second half of that game after starter Austin Trainor struggled, completing only 12 of 22 pass attempts and chalking up two interceptions.

Fleming finished the game with six passes in eight attempts for 76 yards. He and receiver Lavante Page teamed up for three consecutive touchdowns that took the Orange & Green from a 33-17 deficit to a 38-33 victory.

Taylor applauded Fleming for doing exactly what was needed to turn the game around.

“I felt like we needed some energy,” Taylor said. “We needed a shot in the arm. As well as Fleming's throwing being accurate, he can buy some time with his mobility. And when he's scrambling, he's not scrambling to run. He's still looking down field. He was able to get out and buy time and make some good "move the chains" type of plays.”

Fleming, a 6’3 Jacksonville native, played for Ribault High School. During this weekend’s matchup against Delaware State, he will become the first true freshman to start as quarterback for the Rattlers since 1988.

Earlier this week, FAMU Head Football Coach Joe Taylor spoke to the Tallahassee Quarterback Club (TQQ) about his strategy for helping his student athletes develop strong character.

Taylor’s said his coaching efforts focus on the theme: “Success is an Inconvenience.” He tells his players that lofty achievements do not come easy. They require discipline, persistence, a positive attitude, a strong work ethic, and the ability to set the right priorities.

“I once had a player tell me he wanted to be a doctor. I told him that I’d heard he was drinking on the weekends. I told him that he was not preparing to be a doctor, he was practicing to be a drunk,” Taylor said to thunderous laughter.

“Character is developed when your backs are against the wall. Our team showed that they had character on last Saturday,” Taylor said in reference to the Rattlers’ comeback victory in the Atlanta Classic.

"I am so proud of the fact that we revealed our character,” he exclaimed. “We successfully turned our trials into triumphs.”

Taylor received applause for another anecdote that centered on the quality of persistence.

“Does anyone know how Formula 409 got its name?” he asked. “Well, the first 408 times they tried to make the product, it didn't achieve what they were after, but they kept trying. On the 409th time, they got it right. I try to tell my kids all the time that there is no monopoly on success. They can be successful if they endure the process.”

The FAMU College of Law's first-try bar passage rate rose between July 2010 and July 2011. The school’s first-try test takers posted a 65.3 percent passage rate on the most recent exam, up from 62.5 percent one year ago.

Many FAMU 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.

The bumbling attack on the super-majority clauses in FAMU President James H. Ammons’ contract has played out like a flashback to the bad old days of the mid-2000s when Bill Jennings and like-minded trustees nearly ran the university into the ground.

It all began with a set of highly questionably actions by Jennings last year.

Back at the September 23, 2010 Board of Trustees meeting, then-Chairman Jennings first announced his intent to meet with Ammons and discuss “restructuring” the bonus clause in his employment agreement. But at the recent August 4, 2011 meeting, Jennings confirmed that he had also asked Ammons about changing the “super-majority” clauses.

The super-majority clause require nine votes, rather than a simple majority of seven votes, to terminate the president without cause.

Jennings never mentioned any plans to try and pressure the president into making any contractual changes beyond the bonus clause when he addressed trustees during the September 23, 2010 meeting. Ammons agreed to switch the guaranteed bonus into a performance-based incentive during his talks with Jennings but resisted the former chairman’s efforts to individually strong-arm him into additional changes that had not been discussed before the entire board at a public meeting.

FAMU’s BOT could have an inked an agreement to restructure the bonus clause months ago had it not been for Jennings’ behind-the-scenes power struggle against Ammons.


Over the past two months, Jennings’ battle with the president has suffered big setbacks. His ally Richard Dent failed gain enough support to be a competitive candidate for the chairmanship, which ended any possibility of Jennings retaining his powerful committee-of-one role for renegotiating the presidential contract.

And now, the central argument Jennings and his allies had been using to justify their desire to remove the super-majority clauses has fallen apart.

Back at the August 4, 2011 FAMU BOT meeting, Jennings ally Karl E. White said he wanted an ad hoc committee to work to remove Ammons’ super-majority clause. He justified his position by saying that it was his understanding that Ammons was the only State University System of Florida (SUS) president with such clauses.

White’s “understanding” turning out to be 100 percent wrong. Florida Atlantic University (FAU) President Mary Jane Saunders’ contract requires a super-majority vote for termination with or without cause. Former FAU President Frank Brogan, the current SUS chancellor, also had the same super-majority clauses in his contract with the university.

White still has not explained why his “understanding” was inconsistent with the facts. Did he simply choose to speak without knowing what he was talking about? Or, did he actually know that Ammons is not the only SUS president with super-majority clauses and simply assume no one would not be smart enough to check that information?

The Bill Jennings-led attack on the super-majority clause has gone from being a set of under-the-table actions to a public campaign that has been exposed for its misleading information. FAMUans have every reason to be suspicious of what Jennings and his followers Charles Langston, Richard Dent, and Karl E. White are trying to pull.

The FAMU College of Dental Medicine will create nearly 2,100 short-term jobs in the Florida Panhandle during its initial development. After that, its annual operation will sustain about 1,000 new well-paying jobs in the region on a permanent basis.

Over a ten year period, the development and operation of FAMU’s dental school will result in 3,127 short-term or sustained jobs in the Panhandle and a total of $775M in economic activity.

The economic activity figure includes the money for construction of the education facilities, annual operations, student living expenses, and visitor expenses.

These job creation and economic impact projections, which come from FAMU’s dental school proposal, were developed using the input-output methodology and economic multipliers from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

FAMU’s dental educational delivery program will create jobs through its focus on expanding the Panhandle’s dental safety net system, which consists of the Federally Qualified Health Centers and County Health Department Clinics that serve low-income patients. About 65 to 75 percent of the cost for the work done by these safety net clinics is subsidized by non-State sources such as the federal government.

Through its dental training operation, FAMU will help these safety net clinics increase their respective capacities. FAMU’s advanced dental students, residents, and professors will treat patients at these sites. This will open the way for about 100,000 additional men and women to receive care and create new jobs for the region.

As the safety net clinics expand and current dentists retire, FAMU will become the top source for new dentists at these centers. FAMU will use a targeted recruitment program and a low tuition rate to help enroll students who are likely to work in such facilities after they earn their degrees.

Medicaid dentists employed by safety net clinics will find it easier to make a living than those in private practices. According to FAMU’s proposal: “These safety net clinics receive higher Medicaid reimbursement rates from the State than private practitioners, and they receive federal grants. Further, they are paid per visit rather than per service. As a result, most are able to provide basic dental services to low-income patients.”

The Florida Panhandle region that will be serviced by FAMU’s dental school consists of the following 22 counties: Leon, Bay, Calhoun, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Hamilton, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Liberty, Madison, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Suwannee, Taylor, Wakulla, Walton, and Washington.

Lavante Page set a new school record as he rushed for five touchdowns, helping the Rattlers pull out a 38-33 win over Southern University in the Atlanta Football Classic.

Page finished the game rushing for 73 yards on 16 carries, earning the game’s Most Valuable Player award. He became the first Rattler in school history to score five touchdowns in a single game.

The previous record was four TDs in a single game, which was initially held by Willie Galimore. Galimore scored four TDs against Tennessee State in 1956. Chuck Duffey duplicated that feat by scoring four against Tuskegee in 1991. Oteman Sampson matched it as well when he scored four against Tuskegee in 1996.

"It was probably middle school the last time I scored five touchdowns,” Page said. “I’m happy with the five touchdowns, but I'm more happy just with the win.”

Eddie Rocker finished as the Rattlers' second leading rusher with 67 yards on 16 carries.

Quarterback Austin Trainor started the game for FAMU and passed for 142 yards, completing 12 passes in 22 attempts with two interceptions. Freshman quarter Damien Fleming finished the game for the Rattlers, completing six passes in eight attempts for 76 yards.

Head Coach Joe Taylor said Fleming did exactly what was needed to turn the game around.

“I felt like we needed some energy,” Taylor said. “We needed a shot in the arm…He was able to get out and buy time and make some good ‘move the chains’ type of plays.”

Target, J.P. Morgan Chase, Proctor & Gamble, Pepsico, Wells Fargo, Lockheed Martin, and Johnson & Johnson are just a few of the Fortune 500 companies that will be seeking FAMU graduates during the university’s Career Expo next week.

The activities will kick off with a reception on Tuesday, September 27 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., followed by the expo on Wednesday, September 28 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Both events will take place in the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center and are free to FAMU students and alumni.

“The expo and the reception give the students and alumni the opportunity to network with potential employers on a formal and informal basis,” said Delores Dean, director of the FAMU Career Center. “The expo officially kicks off our recruitment efforts for the rest of the semester.”

More than 75 companies have signed up to recruit at the events.

FAMU is reassessing the estimated $42M price tag for its proposed College of Dental Medicine building in light of a generous offer from Tallahassee Memorial Hospital (TMH). TMH wants to house the dental school and help raise money for the facility.

Howard Bailit, FAMU’s dental school consultant, announced the news during the university’s presentation before the Strategic Planning Committee of the Florida Board of Governors (BOG) on September 14.

“We’ve had a very interesting offer from Tallahassee Memorial Hospital,” Bailit said. “They had donated land to us. But now they’re saying, ‘Why don’t you locate your dental school right on our medical campus?’”

Bailit said that FAMU has not had time to fully examine this new option. But he thinks the potential arrangement could provide numerous benefits to FAMU’s future program.

“They have a first rate medical campus there," Bailit said. "And they will help us raise the money for this facility.”


He added that TMH is also in a strong position to help FAMU establish its dental educational delivery system in the Florida Panhandle. FAMU plans to partner with county governments across the region to expand their community-based dental operatories. According to FAMU’s proposal, FAMU dental “faculty, residents, and senior dental students will provide care in these clinics, greatly increasing their capacity to care for low-income patients.” This will open the way for 100,000 new patients to receive care.

“Tallahassee Memorial Hospital has developed a medical management company,” Bailit explained. “This medical management company manages its own clinics and also manages clinics on a contractual basis for other community clinics that are out there. They could go a long way in helping us develop the skills and capability for managing our operation.”

The BOG will revisit the dental education proposals from FAMU, the University of Florida, and the University of Central Florida in November. Bailit says FAMU will use that time to fully evaluate TMH’s offer.

“I think we need a couple months to see whether the capital costs for the building are going to stay the same or be less based on this potential arrangement with Tallahassee Memorial Hospital,” Bailit said.

Even though FAMU had originally planned to place the dental school on its main campus, universities often find it beneficial to establish medical campuses next to hospitals.

For example, the Harvard School of Dental Medicine is not located on the university’s main campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It, along with the Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health, is part of the Longwood Medical and Academic Area in Boston. That gives it close proximity to treatment centers such as Children’s Hospital Boston and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which it uses as teaching affiliates.

Leon County began bleeding jobs ten years before the Great Recession got into full swing in 2008 when newly elected Gov. Jeb Bush and the GOP legislature started chopping away at state departments.

Those job losses have only gotten worse over the past 12 years as Florida Democrats have consistently failed to mount strong gubernatorial campaigns or gain significant seats in the state House or Senate.

The simple reality is that the Democrats are unlikely to regain control of the governor’s office or either chamber of the legislature in the near future. That makes it all but certain that the state jobs which are central to the Leon County economy are going to continue to disappear.

Now is the time for the City of Tallahassee and Leon County to invest in the health care sector, which the U.S. Department of Labor predicts will be the leading source of new jobs in upcoming years. The $10M contribution dental school contribution that FAMU has requested from the local government will be a big investment in job creation.

During the September 14 Strategic Planning Committee meeting of the Florida Board of Governors, Tallahassee Mayor John Marks confirmed the city and county’s favorable responses to FAMU’s request.

“The university has asked us to commit $5M each,” Marks said. “We have committed that we will do that either in direct funding or in-kind dollars. So that’s $10M that our community has committed to this effort…We truly believe that this will enhance our community in many ways.”


Tallahasseeans can look to Crestview for an example of how FAMU’s health science programs can attract job creators. Crestview donated land and a two story building to help FAMU launch an education center that will offer degrees in areas such as pharmacy, nursing, and public health.

Now, Pharmacy South, Inc. has expressed interest in establishing a plant in Crestview and forming a partnership with the FAMU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences satellite campus in that city. The FAMU pharmacy program would pipeline its graduates into jobs at the plant and also assist with research projects. According to the Crestview Bulletin, the first phase of the plant would initially bring 130 new jobs with a total payroll of $6.8 million. The average salary would be more than $52,000 per year. The second phase of the plant would take the total number of jobs up to about 500.

The Tallahassee and Leon County Commissions have been wise to take steps to avoid a statewide bidding war for the site of the potential FAMU College of Dental Medicine. Back when the FAMU College of Law was reestablished, Tampa, Orlando, and Lakeland all vied for the chance to have it located in their respective cities. Orlando ultimately offered the best package with its land and building contributions.

Jacksonville actually got off to a head start over Tallahassee in supporting the proposed FAMU dental school. The Jacksonville Times-Union endorsed the idea last year. FAMU also picked up community support when it attempted to save a dental clinic in that city that the University of Florida was closing.

The Healthcare and Bioscience Council of Northeast Florida, which is filled with prominent Jacksonville leaders, has been pushing to bring a medical school to the city for years. It is not happy about the fact UF and the University North Florida both said no. A dental school would likely be very welcome as part of Jacksonville’s ongoing push for more health science doctoral programs.

There is no reason for Leon County to wait for another community to come up with a better offer for the potential FAMU dental school. The $10M commitment is just what is needed to keep Tallahassee ahead of any additional competition that might be on the horizon.

The unqualified financial statement audits of President James H. Ammons’ administration, which have all had zero findings, prove that FAMU’s financial management is on par with all the other public universities in Florida. Ammons has gotten FAMU back to the normal, perfect performance it had on financial statement audits for 24 years before FYEs 2003 through 2007.

Tallahassee should have a dental school and FAMU is the right place for it. The $10M contribution from the city and county will ultimately come right back to the taxpayers through the economic boost the new program will give the community.

FAMU’s Green Coalition gathered in the university quadrangle for a friendly “flash mob” rally to promote Moving Planet Day.

Moving Planet Day, an international event being coordinated by 350.org, will call attention to the urgent need to substitute fossil fuels with clean energy alternatives. It is scheduled for Saturday, September 24, 2011.

The Green Coalition’s Moving Planet Day activities include “The Trial of Big Coal,” which will be held in Tallahassee’s Railroad Square.

During the demonstration in the quad, Green Coalition members placed signs along the walkways with messages such as “Big Coal wants you ignorant…” They also encouraged broader use of environmentally friendly transportation options such as walking and biking.

The Green Coalition was founded in 2006 by LaRae M. Donnellan, a professor in the School of Journalism & Graphic Communication. Its accomplishments include playing a lead role in helping FAMU win a $10,000 “Retool Your School” grant from Home Depot for a new rainwater collection system on campus.

This year, FAMU was the only historically black college or university to be listed in the Princeton Review’s “311 Green Colleges.”

Mitzi Miller, editor-in-chief of JET magazine and a FAMU alumna, will keynote this year's Homecoming Convocation.

Miller joined the Johnson Publishing Company family as the editor-in-chief of JET magazine in May 2011. An award-winning journalist, Miller is the bestselling author of five books, including the wildly popular Scholastic/Point 3-book teen series, Hotlanta. She also has extensive television experience including regular appearances on VH1’s humorous list shows, as well as ABC’s top-rated morning show, Good Morning America, BET and The Food Network.

Most recently, Miller served as editor-in-chief of the independent athletic lifestyle publication, SET Magazine.

The New York native worked at HONEY Magazine, where she started her career in 2001 as an unpaid intern before quickly becoming the girl-around-town columnist for the hip magazine’s monthly feature, “Road Trippin.” Readers quickly grew addicted to her many quirky, fun-filled adventures. Mitzi remained at HONEY for two years, during which she became the entertainment editor, received an honorable mention from the National Association of Black Journalists and ultimately became the face of HONEY magazine.

Miller is a skilled public speaker who speaks regularly on several nationally syndicated radio shows including The Warren Ballentine Show and has delivered the keynote address at various conferences and seminars nationwide including the 2009 Young Women’s Empowerment Summit at Long Island University; Mayor Daley’s 2009 Annual Book Club Conference in Chicago; and Essence Magazine’s Image of Black Women in Media Panel. She sits on the Board of Directors for the New York City based non-profit organization, Hip Hop 4 Life.

Miller currently resides in Chicago, IL.

FAMU's Lyceum Series will present the award-winning gospel singing group, the Clark Sisters, next month in Lee Hall Auditorium.

This is the fourth time this year that all sisters will perform together. Furthermore, this is only the second time the Clark Sisters have performed on a college campus since their last performance at FAMU in the 90s.

With a compelling, commanding fusion of styles as diverse as blues, jazz, R&B and classical, the Clark Sisters, which consists of sisters Jacky, Twinkie, Karen and Dorinda created a sound that was entirely their own.

On Live – One Last Time, their newest release and first album together in more than 12 years, is truly landmark work. The project is an epic undertaking of unprecedented scope.

With virtually unlimited range, dazzling dynamics and multi-textured runs, riffs, and scats that have long been hallmarks of their singular vocal style, the Clark Sisters sound has given inspiration to countless singers of today. With millions of album sales to their collective credit, that select circle includes gospel, mainstream R&B and pop stars.

The sisters, born between 1951 and 1960, all showed prodigious musical talent from early childhood, and were raised under the careful musical and moral tutelage of their pastor father and mother.

The seeds for what would become Live – One Last Time were first planted by Karen’s husband when he suggested the foursome reunite to give posterity and the flocks of still-faithful Clark Sisters fans a taste of some new “sisters” material, as well as new, live renditions of a large number of Clark standards.

The concert will take place on Friday, October 7, 2011. Tickets are now available through ticketmaster.com and the FAMU box office.

Upon arriving at its Tampa hotel, the Rattler football team was greeted by a surprise welcome from the Lakewood High School Band.

FAMU (1-1) takes on the University of South Florida Bulls (2-0) tonight at 7:00 p.m. at the Raymond James Stadium.

The Rattler athletic program will receive $400,000 from the matchup. The 2005 contest between the two teams attracted 43,122 fans, the second largest attendance number in USF's history.

Yesterday, the Strategic Planning Committee of the Florida Board of Governors (BOG) decided to postpone making any recommendations on the three dental school proposals it reviewed.

FAMU and the University of Central Florida are requesting authorization to launch brand new Colleges of Dental Medicine. The University of Florida wants BOG support for its plan to expand its existing College of Dentistry.

As expected, the BOG reacted coolly toward the proposals. Its staffers have concluded that there are already enough dentists in the state.

“You didn't make your case on need and you didn't make your case on solutions to a need,” Chancellor Frank Brogan told FAMU, UCF, and UF officials.

FAMU’s proposal did specifically address the need for more dentists to serve rural citizens and Medicaid patients, facts which are backed up by data from a recent study by the Florida Department of Health.

BOG members also said they are worried that there is not enough money available to start new, expensive dental programs. Even though Florida’s higher education budget has been shrinking since 2007, it did not stop the BOG from approving a new pharmacy school for the University of South Florida in 2008 and a new medical school for Florida Atlantic University in 2010.

UCF’s dental school proposal attracted particularly strong criticism from the BOG committee for its high projected tuition price tag and failure to include a plan for collaborating with the nearby UF. UCF President John C. Hitt said UCF representatives will meet with UF officials in the coming weeks to talk about a possible partnership.

The BOG will take up the dental school proposals once again at its November meeting.

FAMU’s detailed proposal for a College of Dental Medicine has proved to be a tough act for the University of Central Florida to follow. UCF President John C. Hitt now wants time to tweak and resubmit his dental school plans to the Board of Governors (BOG).

Hitt’s announcement followed tough questioning from the BOG Strategic Planning Committee during yesterday’s meeting in Miami.

In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, Hitt told the newspaper that the committee’s response to UCF’s proposal “was not encouraging.”

The committee asked, for example, why UCF has not come forward with a plan to collaborate with the University of Florida’s College of Dentistry. FAMU’s proposal included a letter of support from UF. Florida State University and FAMU have also outlined an agreement to share facilities and team up on the basic sciences curriculum for the new Tallahassee-based dental school.

"I think we have preached partnership and collaboration," committee member Norman Tripp said. "There is an opportunity here to bring two wonderful universities together [UF and UCF] and have them partner so they both get the best of both worlds."

Hitt said UCF representatives will meet with UF officials in the coming weeks to talk about a possible partnership.

UCF’s high projected tuition price tag, made necessary by its pledge not to seek state funding, also attracted sharp criticism from the committee. FAMU plans to charge less in tuition than UF in order to help attract and enroll students from underrepresented minority groups.

The BOG Strategic Planning Committee did not vote on any recommendations, yesterday. It will continue its discussion on the three dental education-related proposals from FAMU, UCF, and UF today.

A Florida Board of Governors (BOG) committee will hear FAMU’s dental school proposal presentation during its meeting today in Miami. FAMU’s bid for a College of Dental Medicine recently picked up support from the Tallahassee City Commission and Leon County Commission, which both passed resolutions that endorsed the university’s request.

The University of Central Florida will also make a pitch for its own dental school today, which it says it will build and operate without any state funding. The University of Florida plans to solicit the BOG’s support for expanding its current College of Dentistry.

Up to this point, the BOG has been cool toward the idea of establishing a new public dental school. Its staffers have concluded that there are already enough dentists in Florida.

A recent report by the Florida Department of Health says that although the state will have enough dentists to serve the needs of its population in upcoming decades, rural counties and Medicaid patients will continue to be underserved. Low Medicaid reimbursement rates are a major reason behind the lack dental service to Florida’s poorer residents.

FAMU plans to use a targeted recruitment program and a low tuition rate to help enroll students who are likely to open practices in rural counties and treat Medicaid patients.

FAMU claimed the top position among public historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the 2012 U.S. News & World Report rankings.

FAMU was number ten, overall. Spelman College came in at number one.

The rankings are based on six criteria: peer assessment (25 percent), retention (25 percent), faculty resources (20 percent), student selectivity (15 percent), financial resources (10 percent), and the alumni giving rate (5 percent).

This is the fifth year U.S. News has ranked HBCUs. The rankings started in the wake of fierce criticism that argued that the magazine’s “Best Colleges” scoring methodology placed HBCUs at a disadvantage.

While the HBCU rankings are commonly used for bragging rights, they continue to run into controversy for failing to take into consideration how factors such as family income levels influence retention rates and standardized testing scores.

Last week, Charles Langston came up empty-handed in his effort to assist Bill Jennings’ power struggle against the FAMU president.

The Board of Trustees Ad Hoc Committee on the presidential contract came to a consensus that the super-majority clauses in President James H. Ammons’ employment agreement should stay put, despite Langston’s objections. The super-majority clause in Section 11.1 requires a two-thirds vote of the board in order to terminate the contract with cause.

The committee’s decision followed a review of other presidential contracts in the State University System of Florida (SUS), which revealed that Ammons is not the only chief executive with super-majority clauses. For example, Florida Atlantic University (FAU) President Mary Jane Saunders’ contract requires a super-majority vote for termination. Former FAU President Frank Brogan, the current SUS chancellor, also had super-majority clauses in his contract with the university.

Sections 12.0 and 13.0 in Saunders’ contract, just like in Brogan’s former contract, require “a vote of two thirds (2/3) of the Board of Trustees” in order to terminate the agreement with or without cause.

Back at the August 4, 2011 FAMU BOT meeting, Jennings ally Karl E. White said he wanted the Ad Hoc Committee to work to remove Ammons’ super-majority clause. He justified his position by saying that it was his understanding that Ammons was the only SUS president with such a clause.


Now, it is time to ask tough questions about White’s actions. Is he simply a person who talks without making any attempt to educate himself about basic facts? If so, he joins the tradition of ignorance displayed by individuals like former Trustee Jesse Tyson who did not understand that FAMU is accredited and that there is no level of accreditation higher than the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Or, did White actually know that Ammons is not the only SUS president with a super-majority clause and simply assumed his fellow trustees would not be smart enough to check that information on their own?

During the Ad Hoc Committee meeting, the members also recommended changing the language in Ammons’ bonus clause. The contract currently guarantees Ammons a bonus of 25 to 35 percent per year. The committee unanimously agreed that this should be changed to a performance-based incentive of zero to 35 percent per year. Ammons has already expressed a willingness to modify this portion of his employment agreement.

Langston used the bonus discussion as an opportunity to launch one last desperate attack against Ammons’ super-majority clauses.

“I’m not totally comfortable with the super-majority,” Langston said. “I’m really reluctant to enrich this part of the contract [the bonus] and leave that part of it [the super-majority clause] alone.”

The rest of the committee members acknowledged Langston’s disagreement but refused to go along with him.

The Ad Hoc Committee on the presidential contract is chaired by Kelvin Lawson and also includes Marjorie Turnbull, Rufus Montgomery, and Langston. Lawson said he wants the committee to finalize its recommendations in a week or so and then have a face-to-face meeting with Ammons before the end of September. He indicated a desire to have the contractual revision process' committee work done no later than early October.

Benjamin Davis, an award-winning broadcast journalist and digital journalism professor, has been hired as the CBS Harold Dow Visiting Professor FAMU.

Davis, a two-time Columbia-Alfred du Pont award winner, has 30 years of experience working for major broadcast companies such as ABC, CBS, Fox, MSNBC.COM and National Public Radio. He also was an adjunct professor at Rutgers University School of Journalism in New Jersey, where he gained nine years of experience teaching courses in broadcast and digital journalism. Davis is an entrepreneur who developed the Digital Media Pyramid writing style and founded Mediafriendly.com, a company that helps major media companies locate diversity experts. He also worked with students at Rutgers to create www.itsonbad.com, a website geared to 16- to 25-year-olds.

“I hope to live up to the expectations that Harold Dow would have wanted, which are pretty high,” said Davis.

Dow was a long-time CBS News correspondent who came to FAMU and spoke to students as part of the Division of Journalism’s 35th anniversary in 2009. Dow died unexpectedly in August 2010. CBS officials announced last year that they would donate funds to support hiring a visiting professor as part of its diversity initiative and as a tribute to Dow.

Crystal Johns, CBS news director of development and diversity, said, “We are very happy to support a program that will be such a wonderful recognition of all that Harold Dow embodied.”

Davis will be teaching broadcast news writing and broadcast announcing classes. He also plans to “teach students about the digital media pyramid, which is a model I created to replace the more than century-old inverted pyramid...”

A luncheon reception to honor Davis is scheduled for Oct. 14 with the FAMU School of Journalism and Graphic Communication Board of Visitors (BOV) and faculty.

The CBS Harold Dow Visiting Professor position will be funded for three years by CBS, according to SJGC Dean James Hawkins.

“This professorship will strengthen the quality of our broadcast journalism program, to another level,” Hawkins said. “Our students will be even more competitive when they are ready to enter the world of work.”

Hawkins also thanked Kim Godwin - who is a senior producer for the CBS Evening News, an SJGC alumna and BOV member for lobbying CBS for this professorship.

FAMU will kick off its yearlong 125-year Anniversary Celebration with a presidential gala on Friday, October 7, 2011. The theme for this year’s gala is “Marching for Excellence” and will pay tribute to the life of the late William P. Foster, “Dean of America’s Band Directors,” and founder of the incomparable Marching “100.”

The Marching 100, a leader in marching bands, has appeared in films, commercials, Super Bowls, the Grammys, numerous magazine and newspaper articles and nationally televised performances. In 1985, the 100 was the recipient of the Sudler Trophy, the Heisman Trophy for marching bands, which is the highest honor a collegiate marching band can receive. It is awarded to a college or university marching band, which has demonstrated the highest of musical standards and innovative marching routines and ideas. FAMU is the only historically black college or university that has received that award.

“As we celebrate our 125 years of existence, we want to highlight all of the icons of our brand including the Marching 100,” our great presidents, Dr. Foster and others who helped FAMU to become a household name and brand,” said Sharon Saunders, chief communications officer and chair of the 125th Anniversary Celebration.

Foster, who was also called “The Law” and “The Maestro,” was the founder and creator of the noted Marching 100. He served as the band’s director from 1946 to his retirement in 1998. He is credited with revolutionizing marching band techniques and reshaping the world’s concept of the collegiate marching band. Foster brought more than 30 new techniques to the band that have now become standard operating procedure for high school and college bands nationwide.

In 1998, Foster retired after 52 years of service to the university, the State of Florida, the nation and the world. On August 28, 2010, the FAMU family and this nation mourned the loss of Foster, who was 90-years old.

During the 2011-2012 academic year, FAMU will host several anniversary events including a community-wide picnic, a health symposium, an artist in bloom festival and much more.

“This is an exhilarating and monumental milestone in Florida A&M University’s history,” said FAMU President James H. Ammons. “As we honor FAMU’s quasquicentennial and reflect on the university’s achievements, I can not think of a better way to signal the commemoration’s official launch than to honor a legend [William P. Foster] who was a key figure in the life and history of FAMU.”

FAMU continues to have a very active role in helping the victims of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

Following the catastrophe, FAMU raised approximately $25,000 through a mobile giving campaign, a Haiti Relief Benefit Concert and other means of fundraising, as well as collecting necessities and medical supplies for the victims.

“It is important for FAMU to continue to help Haiti because it will still take many years before Haiti and its most important asset--its people-- fully recover from the devastation caused by the earthquake,” said Henry Kirby, chair of the FAMU Haiti Relief Committee. “Haiti has a rich and proud history. We have a number of students from Haiti that are attending FAMU and are eager to return to their homeland and use their education and experiences at FAMU to help rebuild the country and assist their family members and fellow citizens.”

According to Kirby, $10,000 will be donated to a United Nations sponsored orphanage in Haiti. The remaining $15,000 will go toward the Historically Black College/University (HBCU) Consortium that will help to fund scholarships for students to attend the State University of Haiti. The goal of the consortium is to raise $12 million to construct a classroom building equipped to receive telecourses taught by the faculty from the HBCUs. The group also plans to raise money so the State University of Haiti can hire replacements for professors who died in the earthquake.

The setting was just right during FAMU's second annual President’s Executive Leadership Summit. Before an excited crowd of health industry employers from all across Florida, FAMU showcased its nursing, allied health, public health, and pharmacy programs.

The nearly 200 participants from various agencies had an opportunity to learn more about how FAMU students and professors are tackling the world's major health problems. The audience included representatives from Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, Apalachee Center and Incorporated, the American Cancer Society, the Big Bend Hospice, the Boston Scientific Corporation, Capital Health Plan, the Florida Hospital Association, the Sickle Cell Foundation, Vision Works, Hour Glass, and Leon County Emergency Medical Services.

Justin Brian Williams, a 2011 graduate who majored in health care management, told the audience they should invest in FAMU.

“When you invest in a FAMU graduate, always know that you will receive quality,” said Williams, who interned with OptumHealth Behavioral Solutions in Atlanta, Ga. Williams was the first intern from a historically black college or university to participate in the internship program.

FAMU pharmacy graduate Averill Gordon, who is the corporate manager for pharmacy quality assurance for Walgreen Co., also shared his thoughts on investing in FAMU.

“When you get a FAMU student, you should feel confident that you are getting the best,” said Gordon. “‘Excellence with Caring’ is definitely what we do.”

John Hogan, CEO for Capital Health Plan who served as the chair of the Summit, said he endorsed the summit as a way of connecting FAMU with local and regional experts in the health care industry.

“The focus of today’s summit is to focus on FAMU’s assets in the health care industry,” said Hogan. “We are here to focus on the future and issues down the road. In health care, we face tremendous issues.”

FAMU President James H. Ammons charged the audience to join FAMU’s Business and Industry Cluster and to build a relationship with the university.

William Campbell (Baseball), Eddie Cooper (Football), Clarence Hawkins (Football), Shaunta' Pelham (Track & Field), Felix Williams (Football) and FAMU President James H. Ammons (Supporter) were all inducted into the FAMU Hall of Fame during a ceremony held at the Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium.



The "voice" of Rattler football, Keith Miles, and the "voice" of the Marching "100," Joe Bullard, were the emcees for the event.



Attendees were treated to a jazz set from a group of music students, followed by a welcome from FAMU Athletic Director Derek Horne.



The highlight of the evening came when each of the six honorees was given an opportunity to speak about his or her own fond memories of the athletic program.



The night ended with a rousing rendition of the Rattler Charge, led by Ammons.

Shannon Washington, a student and women’s basketball player, was stabbed to death early this morning



According to the Tallahassee Police Department (TPD), police responded to a call at 3025 South Adams Street, Sunday, September 4, at approximately 2:03 a.m. Officers located the victim, Washington, in the apartment with a knife wound to her neck. The victim was initially treated by TPD officers on the scene until EMS arrived. She was then transported to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital where she died.



A suspect, Starquineshia Palmer, 20, was detained and questioned by TPD and later charged with first degree murder. Palmer was visiting Washington for the weekend, noted TPD.



“Our hearts and prayers go out to Shannon’s family and members of the Lady Rattlers Basketball Team,” said FAMU President James H. Ammons. “For Shannon to be killed in the prime of her life is tragic and senseless. She had so much promise as a student athlete. This is a great loss for the university and our athletic program.



The FAMU Student Government Association will have a vigil tonight at 8:30 p.m. at the FAMU Eternal Flame to celebrate the life of Washington.





Washington was a standout basketball player at Illinois Valley Community College (IVCC), earning All-American honors during both of seasons at that school. A native of Sarasota, Fla., her success at IVCC earned her the distinction of having a replica of her jersey to be honored in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn. Washington transferred to FAMU and was expected to play this fall as a shooting guard.



“It is truly a trying situation to lose a student-athlete that has come to us to further her education and excel at her sport,” said LeDawn Gibson, FAMU’s Head Women’s Basketball Coach. “As a coach, this is the kind of incident you just hope you never have to deal with — the death of one of your players at such a young age.”



TPD Victim Advocates have been working with the FAMU Athletic Department, and the victim’s teammates.

Austin Trainor’s 68-yard touchdown connection to Lenworth Lennon with 39 seconds left to play sealed Florida A&M’s 28-22 win over Fort Valley State on Saturday night in the season opener for both teams. Just over 21,000 Rattler faithful turned out for the home opener against the Division 2 Wildcats.



The Rattlers took over at their own 14-yard line down 22-21 with 1:52 left in the fourth quarter, and Trainor completed four straight passes on the drive — the last one was the game winner.



Trainor finished 19 of 33 passing for two touchdowns and one interception, while also scoring once on the ground with three attempts for a total of minus-7 yards. Kevin Elliott had six receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown for the Rattlers.



Fort Valley State quarterback Antonio Henton was 18 of 42 passing for 299 yards, with two touchdowns and three interceptions.

The FAMU Athletics Department is apologizing for technical difficulties that resulted in the failure of its new pay-per-view subscription webcast service.



FAMU’s home opener against Fort Valley State was supposed to be the first sporting event to be broadcast by Rattler Vision, which replaced the previously free FAMUCast coverage.



“Words cannot express our disappointment with the broadcast outcome,” the Athletics Department wrote on its Facebook page. “We will meet with all parties involved with the broadcast on Tuesday and decide on a future plan to move FAMU Athletics forward in the multimedia domain, as well as possible resolutions for this game.”