House Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn will serve as the 2011 FAMU fall commencement speaker on Friday, December 16 at 6 p.m. in the Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium.

Clyburn is the leadership liaison to the Appropriations Committee and one of the Democratic Caucus' primary liaisons to the White House. Working with the internal caucuses, he plays a prominent role in messaging and outreach.

When Clyburn came to Congress in 1993, he was elected co-president of his freshman class and quickly rose through leadership ranks. He was elected chairman of the congressional Black Caucus in 1999, and his reputation as a leader and consensus-builder helped him win a difficult three-way race for House Democratic Caucus vice chair in 2002.

Three years later, he was unanimously elected chair of the Democratic Caucus. When Democrats regained the House majority in 2006, Clyburn was elevated by his colleagues to House Majority Whip.

As a national leader he has worked to respond to the needs of America’s diverse communities. He championed rural communities supporting the development of regional water projects, community health centers, and broadband connections. He has supported higher education by leading the charge for increased Pell grants and invested millions in science and math programs and historic preservation at historically black colleges and universities.

He has encouraged economic development by securing funding for Empowerment Zones; invested in green technology development such as nuclear, wind, hydrogen and biofuels; and directed 10 percent of Recovery Act funding to communities 20 percent under the poverty level for the past 30 years. Clyburn was instrumental in advancing into law measures to resolve historic discrimination issues, significantly reducing the statutory disparity in cocaine sentencing and compensating African and Native American farmers who suffered racial discrimination under the USDA loan program.

Clyburn and his wife, Emily, have three daughters, Mignon, Jennifer Reed and Angela Hannibal; two sons-in-law, Walter Reed and Cecil Hannibal; and two grandchildren, Walter A. Clyburn Reed and Sydney Alexis Reed.

FAMU has been awarded an education and research grant totaling $15M from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to meet the agency’s workforce needs in areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) that support NOAA’s mission. This is the largest single grant awarded in the history of the University.

“One of the highest criteria used to determine the quality of a university is the level of extramural funding and quality of research taking place by faculty and the funding obtained for them to conduct research on a regular basis,” said FAMU President James H. Ammons. “This announcement proves that Florida A&M University meets that standard of excellence.”

30 percent of the grant is designated for scholarships. The grant will provide funds to support students as they pursue NOAA-relevant education, research, and training in environmental science. It will also support enhancing environmental literacy from K-12 to the doctorate level.

“Our education efforts will focus on training and graduating under-represented minorities and utilize research as a vehicle to educate students, and develop skills relevant to the new economy,” said Michael Abazinge, professor and interim director of the School of the Environment who also serves as the principal investigator for this award.

The award will support the NOAA Environmental Cooperative Science Center (ECSC), FAMU as the lead institution with its partners to focus on the following goals:


Increasing the number of well-trained and highly qualified scientists and managers, particularly from under-represented minority groups entering the NOAA workforce and other resource management entities;

Improving the scientific bases for coastal resource management and to develop tools and research products to characterize, evaluate, and forecast coastal and marine ecosystem responses to natural and human induced stressors; and,

Facilitating community engagement related to the function and relevance of coastal ecosystems and the services they provide to society.

The ECSC was established in 2001 at FAMU through a national competitive process. This five-year award was made to a team of academic institutions led by FAMU. Through this award, ECSC will increase the number of scientists, particularly from under-represented minority groups in environmental, coastal, and oceanic sciences.

“We’re committed to developing problem-solving skills as we engage undergraduate majors and graduate students from varied disciplines, including biology, chemistry, physics, math and other STEM areas needed to address and resolve environmental issues,” said Charles H. Jagoe, distinguished professor in the School of the Environment.

Those problem-solving skills are being put to use in the laboratories in the School of the Environment.

Currently, two students, LaTrisha Allen and Kali Farris, are conducting research under the leadership of Jagoe. Allen, a second-year Ph.D. research student, and Farris, a third-year master’s degree student focusing on environmental science marine toxicology, are examining and conducting different analysis of several fish species to determine their exposure to the oil released in the BP Oil Spill.

This grant will also provide educational opportunities for students and teachers in the local K-12 school districts through summer workshops, Brain Bowl competitions and others enrichment activities. K-12 student participants will learn how environmental decisions impact the social and economic structure of their communities.

A contentious contract negotiation process that publicly pitted FAMU’s current president against old supporters of the former interim president ended quietly yesterday evening.

In a meeting that lasted just over 15 minutes, the FAMU Board of Trustees and President James H. Ammons okayed an amended presidential employment agreement.

The highlights include:

-The removal of the “evergreen” clause that renewed the employment agreement on a daily basis.

-A fixed term of employment that lasts until June 30, 2016. Trustees have the option to renew or extend the contract with a two thirds super-majority vote.

-A requirement for a two thirds super-majority vote for termination with or without cause.

-The elimination of the guaranteed bonus of 25-35 percent, annually.

-A new performance-based bonus of 0-10 percent, annually.

-A retention bonus that Ammons is eligible to receive on June 30, 2014.

-A base salary increase of $16,250.

-An annuity increase of 3 percent.

-A 12 month post-presidential sabbatical in the event of termination without cause or resignation.

The Ad Hoc Committee on the presidential contract originally recommended that Ammons receive a 12 month post-presidential sabbatical at 90 percent of his presidential salary. Ammons wanted the sabbatical to be 24 months. The finalized contract amendment represented a compromise by permitting Ammons to keep his full salary for one year after leaving the presidency.

The contract’s recitations commended Ammons for “exceptional service as president of the University since July 2, 2007.”

“I want to thank all of you for the confidence you have expressed in me to lead Florida A&M for the next five years,” Ammons said.

Back in August, the FAMU Board of Trustees rebuffed outgoing Chairman Bill Jennings by handing the gavel to Solomon L. Badger, III instead of Jennings ally Richard A. Dent. Since that time, Badger has made slow but steady progress in cleaning up the board’s long-running bad reputation.

The new chairman and former chairman immediately clashed over the direction of the presidential employment agreement negotiations. In the months preceding the August 4, 2011 BOT meeting, Jennings had attempted to pressure President James H. Ammons into major contractual modifications that he had not mentioned to the entire board at a public meeting.

Badger has led the board away from Jennings-style under-the-table dealing to a more open negotiation process with president. On Badger’s first day, the BOT established an ad hoc committee to review how the Ammons’ compensation, super-majority, and evergreen clauses compared with that of other State University System of Florida (SUS) presidents. The new chairman appointed Kelvin Lawson to head the committee.

The Badger-led committee process has brought dignity into the negotiations by sticking with the publicly approved agenda and providing regular updates to the press. It has also helped clear up the rampant misinformation concerning the details of the employment agreement.


For example, Jennings ally Karl E. White said he wanted the super-majority clause removed because it was his “understanding” that Ammons was the only SUS president with such protection. The committee exposed the fact White’s “understanding” was inaccurate and dropped this issue.

After the ad hoc committee’s initial meetings, Lawson presented the group’s recommendations to Ammons during a one-on-one talk. The committee then met again on October 3. As reported by The FAMUan, the committee and Ammons are now close to an agreement that will include:

-An annuity increase from 12 percent to 15 percent.

-A retention bonus to be awarded of the course of the 5-year contract on the third and fifth years.

-A salary increase of 10 percent.

-A performance bonus that would be reduced not to exceed 10 percent of the president's entire salary.

-A post-presidential sabbatical which would guarantee Ammons 90 percent of his salary as university president for one year after his resignation while he serves as a tenured faculty member.

Ammons has noted that he would like to extend the length of the sabbatical beyond one year.

This new negotiation process represents a much-need change from the way Jennings approached the presidential contract. The majority of FAMU’s trustees are now showing that they want to handle business in a way that will not bring further harm to the board’s reputation or leave most members in the dark.

Back while the University of South Florida and Florida Atlantic University were hammering out plans for big new health science schools, FAMU was stuck with trustees like Bill Jennings who let an out-of-control interim administration nearly sink the institution.

James H. Ammons made it clear during his presidential interviews in 2007 that he wanted to help FAMU catch up by establishing a College of Dental Medicine. But his first years as FAMU’s leader were consumed with cleaning up the accreditation and financial messes that Jennings and his buddies permitted the previous administration to create.

FAMU ended up missing a critical window of opportunity to get public support for a dental education program. Former Sen. Alfred “Al” Lawson worked hard to push a legislative authorization bill for the college after Ammons was finally able to dedicate greater attention to the proposal in 2009. He also had creative ideas for obtaining a building to house the school.

But by 2009, the Great Recession was in full swing and Public Education Capital Outlay funds were starting to dry up. Lawson was also heading toward the end of his term limit and had little to time to cut the deals necessary to bring home another big set of budgetary earmarks for his alma mater.

At that same time USF and FAU, which did not have to deal with low-quality trustees like Jennings, were well on their way to beefing up their health science program offerings. USF received approval for its new College of Pharmacy in 2008 and FAU received approval for its new College of Medicine in 2010. Those two schools are now well on their way to hauling in big revenue in tuition dollars and multi-million dollar federal grants for those two universities.

Jennings could have chosen to make fundraising and lobbying for the dental school proposal his top priority during his last year as chairman from 2010 to 2011. But he seemed to dedicate much greater energy to his bitter, behind-the-scenes battles with Ammons over issues such as the super-majority clause in the presidential contract.

FAMU has had a long-running problem with trustees who give more time and attention to ego-driven bickering inside the university than working to help FAMU compete for a bigger slice of the statewide funding pie. The chance to make headway on a College of Dental Medicine before the Great Recession is just one of the opportunities FAMU has lost because of such individuals.

If FAMUans do not get sick and tired of this type of trustee behavior, the university will continue to miss out on important time-limited opportunities to build upon its academic mission.

As expected, FAMU’s detailed proposal for a College of Dental Medicine received a cold shoulder from the Florida Board of Governors Strategic Planning Committee last month. Now, FAMU is tabling its dental school request and, instead, seeking support for an academic partnership that will annually pipeline a dozen of its talented graduates into the University of Florida’s College of Dentistry.

Donald Palm, FAMU assistant vice-president of academic affairs, says that FAMU will push for a dental school in the future.

“The dream’s still alive,” he told the Tallahassee Democrat. “It’s just on hold.”

If approved and funded, the FAMU-UF dental education diversity partnership will add 12 FAMU graduates to UF’s first year-class of 80 dental students, taking the total to 92. UF College of Dentistry Teresa Dolan estimates that the program will cost several million dollars per year.

"One of the main goals is to enhance diversity," Dolan said. "By increasing our class size it allows us to participate in the pipeline, but also assign more students to community-based learning."

BOG members have said they are worried that there is not enough money available to start a new, expensive dental program.

“The Board of Governors is extremely fearful — extremely fearful — of approving any project that, in the long run, could come back and affect us financially because we just don't have the money,” BOG member Mori Hosseini told the Orlando Sentinel.

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.

For the past three years, FAMU's lower division students (those with fewer than 60 credit hours) have taken higher course loads than their peers at the University of Florida. This has set FAMU on the right path for a higher six-year graduation rate.

This important step forward did not happen by accident. It is the result of a carefully crafted strategy for making college more affordable for FAMU's students. FAMU's Divisions of University Relations, Student Affairs, Administrative and Financial Services, and Academic Affairs have all played very important roles in this process.

Fee breaks and more generous financial aid to encourage higher course loads

President James H. Ammons' administration has beefed up scholarships and rolled out bigger fee breaks to help students obtain more money for classes.

A big part of the increase in scholarship money has come from the Division of University Relations' ongoing efforts to rebuild the Industry Cluster, a major source of private giving. Alumni donations to the university foundation have also sharply risen since Ammons was appointed president.

The Division of Administrative and Financial Services also recommended new out-of-state fee breaks to the Board of Trustees (BOT). These fee breaks, which the BOT approved, are part of the university's efforts to help these students boost their course loads. FAMU awarded $2.7M in out-state-breaks in 2009-2010. That climbed to $3.8M in 2010-2011.

In 2009-2010, Chief Financial Officer Teresa Hardee and then-Student Body President Gallop Franklin, II successfully persuaded the BOT to waive the seven percent differential tuition increase for students who qualify for the need-based Florida Public Student Assistance Grant (FPSAG). That meant that FPSAG recipients only faced the mandatory six percent tuition hike required by the legislature, instead the total 15 percent increase placed on the majority of FAMU students.

These fee breaks and scholarships were complemented by U.S. President Barack Obama's leadership in increasing Pell Grant awards. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 boosted the maximum Pell Grant award by $500 to $5,350 for 2009-2010. The maximum award went up to $5,550 in 2010-2011 as a result of additional funds from the College Cost Reduction and Access Act.

Stronger advising and the expansion of on-campus housing

FAMU is working to maintain its success in boosting student course loads with additional initiatives that will save students money.

The Division of Academic Affairs led by Provost Cynthia Hughes-Harris has made more academic advisors available on campus and stepped up its requirement for students to meet with them on a regular basis. This helps prevent students from taking unnecessary courses that cost them lots of cash and slow down their path to graduation.

For example, FAMU is beginning to require most freshmen admitted through the profile assessment process to enroll in summer classes immediately after high school graduation. These students are being giving specialized advising during the summer months.

The Divisions of Student Affairs and Administrative and Financial Services are also working hard to expand on-campus housing. The university recently reopened Sampson & Young Halls, which added 208 beds and brought to total number up to 2,692. FAMU’s next priority is to complete its brand new Polkinghorne Village by 2013. That will add 800 more beds to campus and bring the total up to 3,492.

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 rental rates are usually much cheaper than private-owned apartments. Students also save money by using campus meal plans and walking to class instead of driving. That leaves them with more dollars to spend on courses.

CBS “60 Minutes” correspondent Byron Pitts told the up-and-coming journalists of FAMU School of Journalism and Graphic Communication to “do you” during the CBS Harold Dow Professor Luncheon.

“Be the best that you can be,” he stressed to them. “Be excited about life and all of its opportunities.”

Pitts served as keynote speaker during the event, which was also an official welcome for the inaugural CBS Harold Dow Visiting Professor Benjamin Davis. Davis is a two-time Columbia-Alfred du Pont award winner who has 30 years of experience working for major broadcast companies such as NBC Universal, ABC, CBS, Fox and National Public Radio.

The position was named after long-time CBS News Correspondent Harold Dow, who died in August 2010.

Davis described the position that bears Dow’s name as standing in a giant’s footprint because of the legacy that Dow left on the field of journalism.

“FAMU is the mother load of students looking for success,” said Davis. “At the end of the day, I hope to help produce good journalists. I have to imagine what Harold Dow would expect and then I push (the students) a little further. He has a giant’s footprint.”

CBS officials announced last year they would donate funds to support hiring a visiting professor as part of their diversity initiative and as a tribute to Dow.

“Harold was my friend and mentor,” said Susan Zirinsky, executive producer for CBS 48 hours and Dow’s former supervisor. “There wasn’t a single story that he didn’t see the merit. It was more than losing a colleague — it was losing a member of the CBS family.”

FAMU President James H. Ammons said he was grateful to CBS for investing in the university.

“CBS wouldn’t put this professorship anywhere,” he said during the luncheon. “They put it at Florida A&M University because of its tradition of academic excellence. The students at the

School of Journalism and Graphic Communication are indeed fortunate. We have somebody special. We got it right.”

Dow’s widow, Kathy Dow, also attended the luncheon. She gave the students advice that she felt her late-husband would give.

“Always remember to dream big,” she said with tears in her eyes. “Be disciplined; be determined.”

FAMU President James H. Ammons awarded $175,000 in scholarships to students at the Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) in New York, NY. Ammons met with the administration of HCZ as well as with parents and students to award scholarships on the spot to students who meet scholarship requirements. Five students, who will be the first generation in their family to attend college, were recipients of the scholarships.

Dominique Bradham-Riddy was awarded a Life-Gets-Better Scholarship totaling more than $100,000. This presidential scholarship provides four years of tuition and fees, room, board, books, $500 per semester stipend, internships and a laptop. Bradham-Riddy plans to major in engineering and pre-med.

The other students included: Falilou Barry, business and engineering; Jainelle Gailard, psychology; Brittany Williams, science/pre-med; and Deloris Witcher, science/pre-med.

HCZ has an exemplary record of graduating students who go on to college. But according to Geoffrey Canada, president and CEO of HCZ, this is first time a university has offered scholarships to students at HCZ.

“We have worked with these students since they were in sixth grade to make sure they were academically prepared for college and the high-skills job market,” Canada aid. “By offering our students these scholarships, Florida A&M University is knocking down one of the biggest remaining barriers to success for these kids. We are thrilled that the college is giving our kids this opportunity.”

Ammons said the students at the Harlem Children's Zone are talented.

“The students at the Harlem Children's Zone are talented and driven,” Ammons said. “Florida A&M University can help them discover who they can become and succeed to their fullest potential.”

HCZ aims to break the cycle of generational poverty for the thousands of children and families it serves. All HCZ programs are offered free to the children and families of Harlem, which is made possible by donations.

FAMU School of Business and Industry (SBI) students took home the first-place trophy and were crowned national champions of the National Black MBA Association’s (NBMBAA) National Student Case Competition earlier this month. During the competition, FAMU competed against 22 other schools across the country.

This year’s winning team members were Antoinyce Eaton from Raleigh, N.C., Benjamin Evans from Philadelphia, Penn., and Cianna Reaves from Perry, Fla. Their win provided them with $15,000 in scholarship money and three championship trophies. All three are MBA students in SBI. The team is advised by SBI Professor Joycelyn A. Finley-Hervey.

“I am so proud of Cianna, Antoinyce, Ben and Dr. Finley-Hervey,” said SBI Dean Shawnta Friday-Stroud. “They demonstrated that SBI's rigorous and competitive Professional MBA and one-year MBA programs prepare professionals that are capable of solving today's complex business issues. I commend this team for bringing home the win for the third time in five years!”

FAMU first entered the competition in 2007, winning that year and again in 2008.

“Participating in the National Black MBA Association Chrysler Case Competition was one of the highlights of my year,” Evans said. “In addition, the experience of being able to network with students from universities across the nation and accomplished minority professionals was also rewarding. The intensity of competing against the top 22 schools in the nation and the hard work and effort that I and my teammates put forth in developing the perfect strategies for the competition paid off.”

The annual event is designed to give students an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and problem-solving skills in a formal competition. Students present their solutions and defend their analyses before a panel of senior executives, who evaluate the teams on presentation skills, thoroughness, and creativity evident in the analyses.

“The students displayed an impressive grasp of global business dynamics as it relates to this year’s challenging case study,” said Kim Harris Jones, Chrysler LLC senior vice president, corporate controller and auditor. “In particular, the students from Florida A&M delivered a sound analysis and unique solution that rose to the top to once again capture first place.”

FAMU's Al-Terek McBurse (pictured) and Steve Robinson both nabbed Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) player of the week honors for their performances in FAMU's matchup against Savannah State University.

McBurse (RB, 5-11, 205, Jr., Oviedo, Fla.) was named Offensive Player of the Week. During Saturday's game, he rushed for a career-high 218 yards on 14 carries to score three touchdowns. McBurse averaged 15.6 yards per carry and became the first FAMU running back since 2007 to rush for 200 yards in a game.

Robinson (QG, 6-3, 300, Jr., Tallahassee, Fla.) was named Offensive Lineman of the Week. He helped lead the Rattlers to 448 yards of total offense in the team's 47-7 victory over the Tigers. He also recorded four pancake blocks in the win.

An alumnus who helped former President Frederick S. Humphries strengthen the Industry Cluster is returning to FAMU.

Thomas J. Haynes, Jr. is the new vice-president for university relations. He will be the point-person in FAMU’s $50M capital campaign.

Haynes was previously as an associate vice-president under former University Relations VP Eddie Jackson in the Humphries administration. His responsibilities included serving as the executive director of the Industry Cluster. In that role, he was a member of the executive team responsible for a $50M capital campaign. The results of that initiative actually exceeded $75M in assets.

He left FAMU in 2003 after being hired as vice-president for university advancement and executive director of the university foundation at Montclair State University. From there he went on to become the vice-president of institutional advancement at Coppin State University.

Haynes faces the challenge of rebuilding the Industry Cluster following years of tough developments. The Cluster grew steadily during Haynes’ tenure at FAMU, attracting about 150 corporate members. But in the years after 2004, it began to shrink due to administrative neglect and instability. The Great Recession made the problem even worse as companies began to cut back on their donations. Just before President James H. Ammons’ first year at the helm of the university, Cluster membership had fallen to only about 30 corporations.

But the new vice-president, who begins on October 31, remains optimistic about FAMU’s future. Haynes says that the university can and will achieve its $50M capital campaign goal if it effectively taps into the power of its support base.

“We have to engage the entire FAMU family, alumni and students,” he told The FAMUan. “This is going to be a family affair.”

FAMU is set to be rid of Bill Jennings on January 6, 2013. But the university will probably be stuck with at least two trustees who think like him, Richard Dent and Karl E. White (and as many as three if Charles Langston's appointment is renewed in 2013). The amended presidential employment agreement should protect the Board of Trustees from Jennings-style obstructionist tactics in its future contract negotiations with FAMU’s chief executive.

This means there should be a clause that prohibits any individual trustee from using closed-door talks to try and pressure the president into contractual changes that have not been discussed before the entire board at a public meeting. There should also be an evergreen clause that automatically extends the contract by 12 months at the end of each fiscal year unless a 7-6 majority of the board votes to launch a renegotiation process.

No under-the-table dealing

During his final year as chairman, Jennings took it upon himself to turn the process of renegotiating President James H. Ammons’ contract into an ugly power struggle.

Back when Jennings announced his intention to discuss restructuring the bonus clause of Ammons’ employment agreement at the September 23, 2010 board meeting, he never mentioned any plans to try and change the super-majority clause or evergreen status of the contract. 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 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 antics. The new contract should prevent this type of situation from ever happening, again. The agenda of the negotiating process should only include items that the full board has voted to discuss with the president.

Clarification of evergreen status

According an article by The Chronicle of Higher Education, a draft of the amended contract for Ammons employs him “through June 30, 2016, with an option for renewal by a supermajority of the board.”

The BOT should remember that Ammons was only hired with a 7-6 vote. Trustees should not give individuals like Langston, Dent, and White the opportunity to build a coalition to block a contractual renewal process with as few as five votes.


The contract’s evergreen status, which has been a source of confusion, should be clarified. The Chronicle’s coverage, for example, has interpreted the clause to mean that “Ammons's three-year employment agreement [is] renewed each day.” The Chronicle also says that “many trustees and outside experts interpreted the evergreen clause to mean that Mr. Ammons, if fired without cause, would continue to receive his $325,000 presidential salary, among other benefits, for three years.”

The August 1, 2006 version of University of Central Florida President John C. Hitt’s employment agreement, as it appears in a signed copy posted on the website of the UCF’s faculty union, could serve as a model for clarifying the evergreen status in Ammons’ contract.

That document says: “The Board shall employ Dr. Hitt as its President for a term of approximately three (3) years, beginning August 1, 2006, and ending on June 30, 2009. Commencing on July 1, 2007, and annually on July 1st thereafter, the term shall automatically be extended by one year unless either party notifies the other in writing, by June 1st of his/its intent not to extend the contract. Dr. Hitt’s employment shall be subject to termination only as provided for in this Agreement.”

No matter which option the FAMU BOT takes, it should only require a simple 7-6 vote for the renewal of the presidential contract. There is no super-majority vote required for the continuation of Mary Jane Saunders' contract at Florida Atlantic University, just like none was required for the continuation of the contract of her predecessor Frank Brogan.

But Saunders' contract, just like Brogan’s former FAU contract, does require a super-majority vote for termination with or without cause.

FAMU has enough pressing challenges to face in the future. It does not need the added headache of Jennings-style obstructionism during its next potential contract negotiation process with Ammons.

One of the two pools in the Rattler Aquatic Center will soon be as good as new.

FAMU is refurbishing the teaching pool next to the Gaither Athletic Complex. As Rattler Nation previously reported, the teaching pool needs to be completely reconstructed. The project will cost about $2.6M.

The teaching pool is operated by the College of Education and is part of the Gore Education Complex. In 2007, Sen. Alfred “Al” Lawson steered $8,301,606 into FAMU’s budget to renovate all the facilities in Gore. That was followed by another $5,600,000 in 2008. Both appropriations came from Public Education Capital Outlay (PECO) dollars.

FAMU has hired CSI Contracting, Inc. to reconstruct the teaching pool.

According to CSI, the project “involves the complete replacement of swimming pool equipment and piping, a retrofit liner and stainless steel panel system with integral stainless steel gutter. The project also includes removal and replacement of the existing concrete pool deck, new mechanical piping to provide temperature control for the pool water, replacement of the electrical equipment and lighting upgrades.”

For more photos, visit CSI Contracting, Inc. here.

FAMU (4-3, 2-2) is tied for fourth place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's (MEAC) football rankings following Saturday's win over Savannah State. The Howard Bison also have a 2-2 record in conference play.

Norfolk State remains undefeated in the MEAC at 4-0 and 6-1, overall.

The North Carolina A&T Aggies have found a resurgence as they trail the Spartans by one game in the MEAC standings and are also undefeated in the conference. The Aggies are 3-0 in the MEAC and 5-2, overall.

Both Morgan State and South Carolina State are tied for third place with conference records of 3-1.

Bethune-Cookman and Hampton are tied for fifth with conference records of 1-2. Savannah State is sixth place at 1-3.

North Carolina Central is seventh with a 0-3 conference record and Delaware State is in eighth place at 0-4.

Al-Terek McBurse scored three touchdowns as the Rattlers (4-3, 2-2) defeated Savannah State Tigers, 47-7, rushing for 218 yards on 14 carries.

McBurse becomes the first Rattler running back to rush for over 200 yards in a game in four seasons. Philip Sylvester, now a member of the Atlanta Falcons, was the last Rattler running back to rack up 200-plus yards in a single game as he rushed for 222 yards against Howard University on September 15, 2007.

Starting quarterback Damien Fleming completed 10-of-14 passes for 83 yards with one TD pass. He also rushed for 29 yards on nine carries, picking up one rushing TD. Addditionally, Austin Trainor saw action as he connected on five of six pass attempts for 74 yards and a TD through the air.

John Ojo led the Rattler defense as he tallied a season high nine tackles with six solos. Jerral Stewart, Marvin Ross and Terry Johnson chalked up one interception each.

The Rattler defensive squad finished with three interceptions, giving FAMU a total of 18 interceptions for the 2011 season.

The FAMU women's track team made its presence known during last week's homecoming game.

Wearing custom-painted outfits, the young women donned big Orange & Green letters that spelled out "We Love FAMU."

As part of FAMU's restructuring process, the Athletics Department has reestablished its own in-house academic counseling center. For the past few years the department's academic support system was admisinstered by the School of General Studies.

The new center is directed by Brandi Tatum, who also doubles as the head coach of the FAMU cheerleaders.

Tatum, a FAMU alumna, comes with a wealth of experience. She was hired away from Florida State University (FSU), where she served as the coordinator of academic programs for the Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement. Her responsibilities included assisting students with academic advisement, graduation preparation, and career planning. Additionally, Tatum ran FSU's Summer Bridge Program, a service that guided rising freshmen through the transition process into college life.

Travis Green and Anthony Williams will assist Tatum as members of the athletics counseling staff. Green, a FAMU alumnus and former football quarterback, has worked on the athletic counseling and advisement team since 2004. Williams formerly worked in student services at Southern Illinois University, where his duties included monitoring the academic progress of student-athletes.

Reestablishing the student athletes academic counseling center in the athletic department will give athletics more control over the center's hours and offerings. It will also ensure that the program directly meets the needs of FAMU athletes. The center is located on the second floor of the Jake Gaither Athletic Complex and features a study hall facility and a computer lab.

Now that Bill Jennings is experiencing embarrassing setbacks in his power struggle against the FAMU president, two individuals who helped him protect Castell V. Bryant for years are lending him some back-up.

Former FAMU General Counsel Elizabeth McBride and former Trustee W. George Allen are following Jennings’ lead by publicly voicing their personal bitterness about President James H. Ammons’ employment agreement.

Tensions have been high between Jennings and Ammons for more than a year. As Rattler Nation previously reported, it appears that Jennings’ ego got bruised because he was seemingly receiving the lame duck treatment as he headed toward the end of his final term as Board of Trustees chairman and continues toward the end of his appointment (January 6, 2013).

Jennings’ attack on the super-majority clause in Ammons’ contract suffered a big setback weeks ago when trustees discovered that Jennings’ ally Karl E. White had his facts wrong on the issue. Back at the August 4, 2011 board meeting, White said it was his understanding that Ammons was the only State University of System of Florida (SUS) president whose contract requires a super-majority vote for termination. But the board's Ad Hoc Committee found that there are other SUS presidents who have the same types of super-majority clauses, including Florida Atlantic University President Mary Jane Saunders.

McBride and Allen are now jumping into the Jennings-led contractual fight.

McBride was general counsel at FAMU from 2004 to 2007. During her tenure, FAMU coughed up well over a hundred thousand dollars in wrongful termination case settlement costs. She recently told the Chronicle of Higher Education about her “heated” talks with Ammons’ attorney back when his contract was being negotiated in 2007. According to the Chronicle, “she advised the university's trustees against the ‘evergreen’ provision.”


It is not hard to see why McBride is probably carrying sour grapes from 2007. Ammons decided against asking her to stay at FAMU and appointed a new general counsel on his first day in office.

Allen also took his own shots against the Ammons contract in the Chronicle by saying that it was too generous because Ammons’ supporters “would've given anything” to him.

Allen might not want the public to be reminded about his own generosity to Castell. On December 1, 2005, Allen made the motion to give Castell a $35,000 bonus. Then on March 2, 2006, Jennings made the formal request for trustees to grant Castell a $50,000 raise. 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.

Neither Allen nor Jennings asked the Board of Trustees to revisit Castell’s bonus or raise despite all those problems. They 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.

Jennings, Allen, and McBride cannot say they are seriously dedicated to issues of executive accountability at FAMU when they all played big roles in letting Castell off the hook.

More than 100 FAMU athletics supporters gathered to welcome alumnus Willie Brown aboard as the university's new head baseball coach.

"We are here to jump into the Willie Brown brand of baseball here at FAMU," Athletic Director Derek Horne said.

Brown, a former outfielder for the Florida Marlins' minor league system, helped lead FAMU to three consecutive Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference (MEAC) baseball championships during his days as a student-athlete. He formerly served as the interim head coach of Bethune Cookman-University's baseball team and the head coach of Maclay High School's baseball team in Tallahassee.

"I told my players that the first thing they will leave FAMU with if they worked hard, was a college degree," Brown said. "The second thing I told them they would learn is valuable life experience."

Brown also spoke about his recruitment plan, stating that he plans to step up the pursuit of top-level talent in Leon County's K-12 schools.

"I've coached on the high school and Babe Ruth levels and we've got to stop letting our talent get away," Brown said. "I feel [that Leon County has] some of the best talent that is recruited by other colleges and junior colleges."

FAMU volleyball’s return to Tallahassee provided the team with a much-needed boost-in-the-arm. The Lady Rattlers picked up two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) victories before enthusiastic crowds in the Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium.

FAMU (3-1 MEAC, 3-11) posted a 3-0 win North Carolina A&T on Sunday.

“It feels great,” Coach Tony Trifnov said. “I thought at the beginning of the match we played a lot more consistently. We switched setters midway through the season and we were eager to find out what lineup would work better for us.”

The weekend victory was followed by another big 3-0 win against North Carolina Central on Monday.

The two recent MEAC wins follow a long road trip during which the team faced a tough out-of-conference schedule. FAMU is seeking its first MEAC title since it swept the conference championships between 2000 and 2009.

FAMU's College of Law was recently ranked 17th in the nation for providing clinical opportunities by National Jurist magazine, beating out other law schools such as Harvard, University of Kansas, and all Florida law schools. The FAMU College of Law is one of only two historically black colleges or universities (HBCU) to make the list.

“There is a need in Central Florida and around the nation for legal representation for underrepresented populations,” said LeRoy Pernell, Dean of the FAMU College of Law. “I am pleased that we can be recognized for the opportunities we provide to law students knowing that our efforts impact the surrounding community to a positive end.”

The September issue of the magazine for law students ranked the top 20 American Bar Association (ABA) law schools based on the total number of full-time clinical course positions offered per the number of full-time students. National Jurist used information from the Official Guide to ABA Approved Law Schools, 2011 and 2012 edition to compile the list.

The FAMU College of Law’s Legal Clinic Program is under the direction of Professor Ann Marie Cavazos and includes Guardian Ad-Litem, Public Defender, Prosecution, Judicial Externship, Homelessness and Legal Advocacy, Death Penalty, Housing and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Community and Economic Development. Information sessions are held regularly to inform students of available opportunities. Students participating in the legal clinics have assisted Orlando’s indigent population with numerous court cases, and have been recognized for their winning efforts.

“Consistent with the law school mission to provide legal services to the underrepresented population our primary objective is to create and increase opportunities for law students to get hands-on experience,” Cavazos said. “In a down economy, the poor and underrepresented are faced with myriad of legal issues and employers are looking at law school clinics to teach students practical skills and professionalism, so they can hit the ground running.”

During the 2010-2011 academic year, three College of Law students participating as legal interns worked with Jim Kallinger, former Florida Chief Child Advocate with the Governor's Office of Adoption and Child Protection, to compose a proposed bill that would require parents of children in state custody to pay child support to the State of Florida, if it were to become law.

Additionally, students participating in the Housing Clinic and Homelessness and Legal Advocacy Clinic were specially trained to conduct a canvassing project to warn Orlando area homeowners of loan modification and foreclosure rescue scams. The Legal Clinic received a $40,000 grant for the initiative. Also, for the past five years, the Legal Clinic has received a grant from the Florida Bar Foundation to fund Public Service Fellowships to law students interested in providing and promoting pro bono and public service.

After struggling through its first ten games, the FAMU Volleyball team is fighting to remain in the hunt for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) title.

The Lady Rattlers are gearing up for back-to-back MEAC games at home this weekend. They will host North Carolina A&T on today at 3 p.m, followed by North Carolina Central on Monday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m.

The team is currently 1-1 in conference play and 1-11 overall. The Lady Rattlers picked up their first win of the season with a win over Savannah State, 3-0 (25-12, 25-12, 25-16).

FAMU won nine straight MEAC championship titles from 2000 to 2009.

Bison win by scoring all points in 4th quarter

The FAMU Rattlers let a 21-0 lead slip away to lose the 2011 Homecoming game to Howard University 29-28. The Bison scored all 29 of their points in the fourth quarter, which included 15 in the last 1:27.

After trailing 21-0 at the half, the Bison (3-3 overall, 2-2 in the MEAC) rallied to cut the deficit to 21-13 with 10:23 left in the fourth quarter.

Howard’s freshman quarterback Greg McGhee, who threw three interceptions, led a five-play, 71-yard drive that was capped off by a 10-yard scoring pass to Brandon Drayton. The Bison missed the PAT and trailed, 28-19 with just 1:27 left on the clock.

Howard attempted another onside kick, but this time the Rattlers were ready and recovered.

FAMU appeared poised to run out the clock, but Howard’s Corey Berry forced a Damien Fleming fumble that was recovered by Sackie Kerkulah at the FAMU 15.

In an attempt to position itself for a game-winning field, Howard took the ball down to the FAMU 8-yard line.

With four seconds on the clock, the Bison lined up for what would be the potential game-winning field goal. Sophomore kicker Parker Munoz lined and booted a 25-yard field goal that was signaled good by one official. But the Rattlers had called a timeout in an attempt to freeze Munoz.

The problem was that FAMU had already exhausted its allotment of timeouts.

After a brief discussion, the officials ruled that there would be a penalty on FAMU and marked off half the distance to the goal at the FAMU four-yard line, setting what would prove to the game-winning 21-yard field goal by Munoz.

After losing 29 consecutive Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference games, the Bison (3-3, 2-2) have won back-to-back league games for the first time since 2007.

The win also is only the second time Howard has beaten the Rattlers on their home field, and it snaps the Bison’s seven game losing streak to FAMU.

For 32 years, FAMU and Bethune-Cookman University (B-CU) have battled it out on the football field during the highly anticipated Florida Classic. Now, the two rivals are taking their competitive spirit off the field and are competing to save lives.

Rivals FAMU and B-CU are teaming up with Florida’s Blood Centers and Southeastern Community Blood Centers for the inaugural Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Classic Blood Drive Challenge. The schools are holding various blood drives throughout the state to see which university can collect the most units of blood between now and November 15.

“When you are looking at the people who are donating blood, African Americans are under-represented,” said FAMU President James H. Ammons. “Having the two universities with this challenge should have the end result of not only increasing awareness -- but for students, faculty and alumni to serve as role models and to help increase the number of people who donate.”

“We believe we have a responsibility to give back,” said B-CU President Trudie Kibbe Reed. “Especially for citizens who may be in need of blood transfusions. We want our students to go out and be great citizens and what a better way than to give blood.”

The winner of the challenge will be announced the weekend of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Classic.

Florida's Blood Centers and Southeastern Community Blood Centers will be holding various blood drives where students, alumni, friends, family and fans of both teams can donate on behalf of the university of their choice.