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 accomplishments of the Marching 100 and legendary football coach Jake Gaither.
“We had Jake Gaither before FSU had Bobby Bowden,” he said.
Today’s celebration of FAMU’s 125th anniversary got under way at midnight with fireworks on the quad in front of Lee Hall and will continue there with a series of events early this afternoon.
Original update:
Frederick Humphries knows more than a thing or two about Florida A&M University’s rich history.
A 1957 graduate of FAMU — he entered in 1953, the year that FAMU was elevated by the state from college to university status — Humphries returned to his alma mater in 1985 as its eighth president.
His 16-year term is regarded as FAMU’s golden era, at least in the modern age, as enrollment more than doubled and the university received a handful of national honors. read more…
