HBCU Buzz Inc.

By Donald Remy | The Famuan When Gov. Rick Scott held a press conference on Wednesday to announce that he wants Florida to participate in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known as “Obamacare,” my heart skipped a beat. Scott, who is running for re-election in 2014, needs this to improve his image with voters. The magnitude of that [...]

Regions Financial Corp. will partner with Alabama A&M University, Alabama State University and four other historically black colleges and universities on a wide-ranging program beginning this fall. The program will support financial education, academics, athletics and alumni engagement at six schools, with plans to expand the program to additional HBCUs in the future. In addition to the Alabama schools, the [...]

Frederick Humphries, FAMU’s eighth president, found plenty to praise during this morning’s 125th anniversary Founders’ Day Convocation. Humphrires, the keynote speaker, also made the case for FAMU becoming a top tier research university on par with University of Florida and Florida State. “FAMU should have a medical school,” Humphries said. Stressing the university’s “exceptionalism,” he reviewed to great applause the [...]

Florida A&M University graduate student LaVonne Idlette had quite a journey to the London Olympics in this past summer. Idlette competed in the 100-meter hurdles representing her home country, the Dominican Republic. Idlette is a second-year law school graduate student from Miami. Idlette earned her bachelor’s degree in finance from Hampton University. The Olympic games in London was the first [...]

Thousands of students at Florida A&M University participated in an interactive town hall meeting September 20th – the nation’s largest public meeting of its kind — addressing hazing in the campus community. This town hall serves as a continuation of the anti-hazing efforts since Interim President Doctor Larry Robinson began his tenure. Although more than 2,000 students were in attendance, [...]

Florida A&M University has said that drum major Robert Champion was responsible for what happened to him on Bus C on the November night when he was hazed and eventually died. According to a filing Monday in the Orange County Circuit Court by Richard Mitchell, who was hired to represent FAMU in the civil case, Champion, in his position as [...]

Florida A&M University’s insistence that it is not to blame for a drum major’s death during a hazing ritual shows school officials are not taking responsibility for the safety of students, the band member’s parents said Thursday. Pam and Robert Champion Sr. said at a news conference in Atlanta that they were disappointed by court documents filed Monday by FAMU [...]

It’s a new beginning for many students and staff at Florida A&M University. Since former president James Ammons announced his resignation July 11, 2012, FAMU’s Board of Trustees has created opportunity for progressive change. Interim President Larry Robinson was welcomed to the university at his convocation Friday, Sept. 7. But the true purpose of the event was to introduce www.StopHazingAtFAMU.com, [...]

Florida A&M University says it is not responsible for the death of a drum major last year, and that he broke the law and school policies when he willingly took part in the hazing that left him dead. In court papers filed Monday night, the school asked a judge to drop a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the parents of [...]

On the heels of a slow albeit successful start to the 2012 season, the fifth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners are expected to have an easier time of it in week two as they entertain FCS foe Florida A&M this Saturday. Florida A&M, which calls the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference of the Football Championship Subdivision home, is coming off a 17-14 loss at Tennessee [...]

Tammy Hamlet, Florida A&M University’s director of university events, has been charged with eight misdemeanor counts of fraudulently claiming per diem and travel expenses. Hamlet, 45, surrendered at the Leon County Jail on Monday night. An investigation coinducted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement found she falsely claimed $1,821 in school-related travel expenses. The issue was discovered during an [...]

Florida A&M University is lining up recording artists to perform at halftime during football games this fall to replace the school’s suspended band. The university on Monday announced the performer known as “Future” will be the star attraction when the Rattlers open their home schedule by hosting Hampton University on Sept. 15. The Marching 100 was suspended following the hazing [...]

Florida A&M University wants to try to settle a family’s lawsuit against the school over the hazing death of a band member. FAMU trustees on Thursday voted to enter a voluntary mediation session with attorneys for the parents of Robert Champion, who authorities said died last November after Marching 100 members beat him during a hazing ritual. Eleven FAMU band members [...]

Florida A&M University trustees, bewildered by revised estimates for a new residence hall already under construction, voted Thursday to terminate their contract with a prominent Tallahassee-based company, Premier Construction and Development. While approving a plan to solicit new bids for the project, the trustees also took the unusual step of requesting an audit of FAMU’s contracts with Premier. Using a [...]

Florida A&M University trustees are putting an interim president in charge of the university as it embarks on a national search for a permanent leader. Trustees on Wednesday officially confirmed Larry Robinson as interim president. Robinson will be paid $325,000 a year. He replaces James Ammons, who abruptly resigned amid the fallout from the hazing death of a marching band [...]

With its marching band sidelined because of a deadly hazing incident, Florida A&M University has announced an “enhanced football experience and halftime entertainment,” to keep fans cheering during this season’s home football games. In addition, the school’s athletics department has partnered with Visit Tallahassee, which promotes the city as a tourist destination, to create travel packages that include game tickets [...]

Today, Florida A&M University and the City of Crestview officially opened the FAMU Rural Diversity Healthcare Center in Crestview, Fla. “This year, FAMU celebrates its 125th anniversary as an institution of higher learning,” said Interim President Larry Robinson. “I am convinced there is no better way to mark the occasion than by highlighting our commitment to ensure citizens of this [...]

Florida A&M University and Florida State University have named Pennsylvania State University engineering Professor Yaw D. Yeboah as the new dean of the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. The appointment will take effect July 1. After a national, five-month search, Yeboah was selected to succeed Ching-Jen “Marty” Chen, the college’s dean from 1992 to 2011. Engineering Professor John R. Collier has [...]