History of Florida A&M University

Every university has a history, but few have a history every bit unique and impressive as ours.

For more than than 130 years, Florida A&One thousand University has served the citizens of the State of Florida and the nation through its provision of preeminent educational programs...programs that were the edifice blocks of a legacy of academic excellence with caring. FAMU, "Florida's Opportunity University," is committed to coming together the challenges and needs of future generations.

A Look Back

Our history reaches deep into Florida'south past. 11 presidents, 7 acting presidents, and 130+ years of excellence

State Normal College for Colored Students c. 1880s Learn More

Our Founding

FAMU was founded on October 3, 1887. It began classes with 15 students and 2 instructors.

History Makers

FAMU Students Protesting against the arrest of 23 of their classmates c. 1960

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Courage and Change

The '50s and '60s were times of social unrest and change in the nation.

History Makers

FAMU President Dr. Frederick S. Humphries

Dr. Frederick South. Humphries

FAMU'south Reputation Rises

In 1992, 1995 and 1997, FAMU enrolled more National Achievement finalists than Harvard, Yale and Stanford.

Historical Overview

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) , founded onOctober three, 1887, as the State Normal College for Colored Students, began classes with 15 students and two instructors. FAMU's destiny--to become an institution of higher learning, striving toward even greater heights of academic excellence.  Today, Florida A&M Academy is one of 12 institutions in Florida's Country Academy System, and "Excellence with Caring" remains its goal.

Leading the State Normal College through its infancy were two distinguished citizens and educators.  They were Thomas DeSaille Tucker , an outstanding attorney from Pensacola who was selected as the college's first president, and Thomas Van Rennasaler Gibbs , a state representative from Duval County who was Tucker'southward top assistant.  In 1891, the college received $7,500 under the 2d Morrill Act for agricultural and mechanical arts didactics; thus, it became Florida'due south land grant establishment for blacks.  The college was moved from Copeland Street (now the site of Florida State University) to its present location, and its name was changed to the State Normal and Industrial College for Colored Students.  It was at this new site that President Tucker initiated his plans for institutional growth and development.

In the 1900s , this young institution flourished under the leadership of Nathan B. Young .  In 1905, management of the higher was transferred from the Lath of Teaching to the Board of Control.  This event was pregnant considering it officially designated the higher as an institution of higher education.  The name was changed in 1909 to Florida Agronomical and Mechanical College for Negroes (FAMC).  The following year, with an enrollment of 317 students, the college awarded its first degrees.  After a fire destroyed Duval Hall (the principal building that housed the library, administrative offices, cafeteria and other college agencies), progress was made when Andrew Carnegie donated $10,000 to the University for the erection of a new library facility. This facility held the distinction of being the only Carnegie Library located on a black land-grant college.  President Young directed the growth of the college, with limited resource and expectations, to a four-twelvemonth degree-granting establishment, offering the Bachelor of Science degree in education, science, abode economics, agriculture, and mechanical arts.

Under the administration of John Robert Edward Lee, Sr. , Florida A&M College acquired much of the physical and bookish image it has today.  Buildings were constructed; more country was purchased; additional faculty was hired; courses were upgraded; and accreditation was received from several state agencies.  By 1944, Florida A&1000 College had synthetic 48 buildings, accumulated 396 acres of state, and had 812 students and 122 staff members.  In 1949, under the guidance of William H. Greyness, Jr., expansion, along with reorganization, continued; the higher obtained an Army ROTC unit, and student enrollment had grown to more than ii,000.

Mayhap the greatest achievement under the presidency of Dr. George W. Gore, Jr. [1950-1968], was the elevation of the school to university status.  In 1953, the college's proper name and status were changed past legislative activeness from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College to Florida Agricultural and Mechanical Academy (FAMU).  Obtaining university status meant restructuring existing programs and designing new academic offerings to run into the demands of producing quality students at the professional and graduate levels.  Between 1953 and 1968, the Schools of Pharmacy, Law, Graduate Studies, and Nursing were also created.

During the years 1950-68, the Academy experienced its most rapid growth.  Twenty-3 buildings were erected, with structure and renovation costs totaling more than than $14 million.  These facilities included:  the Dairy Befouled, Faculty Duplexes, Law Wing of Coleman Library; Gibbs, Tucker, and Truth Halls; Agronomics and Domicile Economics Building (Perry Paige), Educatee Marriage Edifice, Demonstration School Edifice and Deli; Wellness and Physical Education Building, Music and Fine Arts Complex, High School Gymnasium and Stadium.  The hospital was completed and operative.  The university's staff was increased past more 500.  At this time, the four-quarter plan was implemented, and the school became the showtime blackness establishment to become a member of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.  Enrollment increased to more than three,500.

With Dr. Benjamin L. Perry, Jr ., at the helm, the 1970sbrought further growth to the University.  FAMU experienced a decade of rapid transition when federal laws were demanding a desegregated unitary system.  Dr. Perry's assistants is credited with preservation of FAMU'southward autonomy.  In 1971, FAMU was recognized as a full partner in the nine-university, public higher education system of Florida.  The program and bookish areas within the institution were extended to include the Black Archives Research Center and Museum, established as a state repository for blackness history and culture; the Division of Sponsored Research; the program in medical sciences, in conjunction with FSU and the University of Florida; the evolution of the School of Architecture; a Naval ROTC unit; establishment of the cooperative programs in agronomics; and a degree-granting program in Afro-American Studies.  Enrollment at FAMU increased from iii,944 (1969) to 5,024 (1970).  The university was reorganized into academic areas instead of departments.  The concrete plants were improved past the construction of the Women's Complex (apartment type dormitory), Clifton Dyson Pharmacy Building, new poultry building and dairy cattle resting shed and renovation of University Eatables, Coleman Library, Tucker Hall and the FAMU Infirmary into the presently named, Foote-Hilyer Assistants Center (FHAC).

The 1980s  served every bit a model for productive development.  Under the assistants of Dr. Walter L. Smith , the University grew to eleven schools and colleges, and a division of graduate studies, inquiry, and continuing education.  In 1984, the University was granted the authorization to offer its offset Doctor of Philosophy caste, the Ph.D. in Pharmacology.  The 1980s too saw the expansion of the Gaither Athletic Center, which includes the construction of a new Women'south Athletic Complex equipped with a track, an Olympic pool, men's and women'due south weight training rooms, and softball and baseball fields.  Bragg Memorial Stadium was renovated and expanded to provide seating for some 25,500 spectators, and a modern field house was erected.  The old laundry was converted into the Industrial Education Classroom-Laboratory.  New facilities were constructed to house the Schools of Allied Health Sciences, Architecture, Business concern and Manufacture, and Nursing.  Structure and renovation projects amounted to more than $34 meg.  Nether the leadership of Dr. Smith, the University launched the Centennial Celebration Fund for establishment of a academy endowment.

In 1985 , structure of a new corridor of history begun as Dr. Frederick S. Humphries  became the 8th president of Florida A&M University.  Under his leadership, FAMU experienced significant growth and unsurpassed accomplishments.  President Humphries had the stardom of presiding over the University's Centennial Celebration:  October 2, 1986-Dec 31, 1987.  This commemorative event, which centered upon the theme, "A Legacy to Preserve-A Future to Pattern," was initiated with the president's inauguration, highlighted with many activities (lectures, concerts, convocations, etc.) and honors, and culminated with the burial of a time capsule.

Dr. Humphries' unique administrative initiatives heightened the entreatment for FAMU to high school students, parents, and other members of the public.  Some of the achievements fabricated during President Humphries' administration include the following:  FAMU received national recognition for record-breaking enrollment. In 1985, enrollment was 5,100.  By 1992, full enrollment had nearly doubled to ix,551.  The enrollment for the 1998/99 academic year reached approximately 12,000.

In addition to increased enrollment, the University consistently ranked nationally among the summit five colleges and universities for enrolling National Achievement finalists.  Due to an ambitious and competitive campaign to attract more talented students, FAMU climbed steadily from quaternary identify in 1989 to offset identify (1992, 1995, and 1997), and second place (1993 and 1994), surpassing institutions such every bit Harvard, Yale, and Stanford. Blackness Issues in Higher Education also cited FAMU, in 1999, for application more baccalaureates to African Americans than any institution in the nation.

Well-nigh significantly, during the commemoration of its 110th Anniversary, Fourth dimension Mag-Princeton Review selected Florida A&M University as the 1997-98 Higher of the Year.  FAMU was selected equally the winner from among 6 finalists including:  DePaul Academy, Chicago; DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana; the University of Iowa, Iowa, Urban center, Iowa; University of California, Los Angeles; Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut; and the University of California State Organization.  FAMU was the beginning institution in the country to receive this honor from this magazine.

FAMU successfully completed requirements for establishing eight Eminent Scholars Chairs through the State Major Gifts Program: the Warner-Lambert Chair in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; the Garth Reeves and the Knight Foundation Chairs in the Schoolhouse of Journalism and Graphic Communication; the Anheuser-Busch, Centennial and Financial Services Chairs in the School of Business and Industry; the Carrie Meek Chair in the College of Education and the Foster Edmonds Chair in the College of Arts and Sciences.

At the 1989 Spring Showtime exercises, the University awarded its get-go Ph.D. degree to Hyacinth Chi Akunne in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.  The University presented its second md of philosophy degree to Fred Foreman (FAMU-FSU College of Engineering) during the 1995 Spring Commencement Exercises.  Presently, the Academy has xi programs that offer the doctoral degree.  They are pharmaceutical sciences; physics; biomedical, chemic, mechanical, civil, industrial and electrical engineering; educational leadership; environmental scientific discipline; and entomology - a cooperative program with the University of Florida.

FAMU displayed excellence both in and outside the classroom. In 1989, the FAMU Marching "100" Band, led by Director of Bands Dr. William P. Foster, was invited by the French government to participate in the Bastille Day Parade as the official representative from the United States.  This effect was held in celebration of the Bicentennial of the French Revolution.  The Marching "100" continues to perfect its legacy of excellence, which has resulted in information technology being labeled as the "Best Marching Band in the Nation" past Sports Illustrated (August, 1992).  The band received national recognition, in Jan 1993, when it performed in the 52nd Inauguration Parade in Washington, D.C., by invitation of President William "Bill" Clinton. The Marching "100" performed for the second Clinton countdown parade as well equally for the 2009 inauguration parade of President Barack Obama.

Tremendous efforts have been fabricated to upgrade facilities and construct new buildings during the by decade. Completed projects include construction of the Benjamin Fifty. Perry General Classroom and Scientific discipline Enquiry Building; expansion of the School of Business concern and Industry's e and west wings; the FAMU/FSU College of Technology; the new College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences building; expansion of the Schoolhouse of Allied Health Sciences; a new Student Services Center; a 400-car parking garage; a 360-bed expansion at Palmetto Housing; remodeling and expansion of the Foster-Tanner Circuitous; and construction of the Frederick Due south. Humphries Scientific discipline Inquiry Center.  Other completed projects include the School of Journalism and Graphic Communication's building and the Campus Recreation Center, the FAMU Developmental Research School (FAMU-DRS) campus, the Multipurpose Gymnasium and the renovation of the Commons Building.

Leadership in the new millennium

January 2002 , Henry Lewis III, Pharm. D , Dean of the College of Chemist's and Pharmaceutical Sciences, was appointed interim president by the Lath of Trustees.

May 17, 2002 , the Board of Trustees named Fred Gainous, Ed. D ., an alumnus, the ninth president of FAMU. Prior to his presidency, Dr. Gainous was the chancellor of the Country Community Higher Arrangement in Alabama.

December 14, 2004 , the Florida A&Chiliad University Board of Trustees named Castell Vaughn Bryant, Ed. D. , interim president.

February 2007 , James Ammons , Ph.D., chancellor of North Carolina Central University in Durham, North.C., was named the x th  president of Florida A&Thou University.  Dr. Ammons served as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs for Florida A&G University from Oct 1995 until condign chancellor of Northward Carolina Central University in 2001.  Dr. Ammons commenced his presidency at Florida A&Thou University on July 2, 2007.

July 2012 ,Larry Robinson, Ph.D., was appointed interim president by the University Lath of Trustees.

President Elmira Mangum, Ph.D ., began her tenure as the 11th president of Florida Agronomical and Mechanical Academy (FAMU) on April 1, 2014 .

September 2016 ,Larry Robinson, Ph.D., was appointed acting president by the Academy Board of Trustees. This was Robinson's third stint as FAMU'south interim president, including from July of 2012 to April of 2014.

November 2017, Larry Robinson, Ph.D. , became the 12th president of Florida A&G Academy. Dr. Robinson served as provost and vice president for academic affairs from 2003 to 2005.  In 2007, he served briefly as principal operating officer for the University and afterward equally vice president for Enquiry from 2007-2010. Dr. Robinson took a leave of absenteeism from the University to serve every bit banana secretary for Commerce for Conservation and Direction at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, where he supported and managed NOAA's coastal and marine programs, including marine sanctuaries for preserving areas of special national significance, fisheries management to sustain economic prosperity, and nautical charts for rubber navigation.  He returned to FAMU in November 2011.

In 2019-2020, FAMU has experienced another flow of unprecedented construction with the completion of the 700-bed FAMU Towers residence hall, the Center for Admission and Educatee Success, (CASS) student services complex, and an outdoor amphitheater.

FAMU tin can credit much of its present bookish stature to the leadership of itsdistinguished presidents:

Thomas  DeSaille Tucker (1887-1901)
Nathan B. Young (1901-1923)
John Robert Edward Lee, Sr. (1924-1944)
William H. Gray, Jr. (1944-1949)
George W. Gore, Jr. (1950-1968)
Benjamin L. Perry, Jr. (1968-1977)
Walter L. Smith (1977-1985)
Frederick Southward. Humphries (1985-2001)
Fred Gainous (2002-2004)
Dr. James H. Ammons (2007-2012)

And interim presidents:

W.H.A. Howard (1923-24)
J.B. Bragg (1944)
H. Manning Efferson (1949-50)
Henry Lewis III, interim president (2002)
Castell Vaughn Bryant, acting president (2004)
Larry Robinson, Main Executive Officer (May 2007 – July 2007),  interim president (2012-2014; 2016-17) and president (2017-present).

For more 130 years, Florida A&M University has served the citizens of the State of Florida and the nation through its provision of preeminent educational programs...programs that were the building blocks of a legacy of academic excellence with caring. FAMU, "Florida'south Opportunity University," is committed to meeting the challenges and needs of future generations.

How the Past has Influenced the Present.

Over 130 years, FAMU has served the citizens of the State of Florida and the world through its preeminent educational programs. These programs are the building blocks for a legacy of "Excellence With Caring." For this reason, FAMU is "Florida's Opportunity University." The schoolhouse was originally designed to meet the needs of the underrepresented and the underprivileged, and nosotros remain committed to meeting the challenges and needs of time to come generations.

Larry Robinson, Ph.D., 12th president of Florida A&M University (FAMU)

"FAMU Rising"

Florida A&M Today

Under Dr. Robinson'southward leadership, FAMU continues to thrive and has implemented new recruitment and retention strategies, strengthened the Academy's academic programs, and more!

FAMU Freshmen Students during Orientaion

Become Living History

Program a Campus Visit

One of the all-time means to make up one's mind if a university is right for yous is to visit the campus. Nosotros offer campus tours to provide students and their families besides as high school and/or community groups a ameliorate agreement of campus life.

FAMU Student Celebrate During Commencement Ceremony

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