Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), commonly known as Florida A&M, is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

historically black Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of serving African Americans. Most are in the Southern U ...

land-grant university A land-grant university (also called land-grant college or land-grant institution) is an institution of higher education in the United States designated by a state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Land-Grant Acts, Morrill Acts of 1862 and ...

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Fl ...

, United States. Founded in 1887, It is the third-largest historically black university in the US by enrollment and the only public historically black university in Florida. It is a member of the

State University System of Florida The State University System of Florida (SUSF or SUS) is a system of twelve public universities in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2018, over 341,000 students were enrolled in Florida's state universities. Together with the Florida College Sy ...

and is

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

to award baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degrees by the

Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees app ...

. FAMU sports teams are known as the Rattlers, and compete in Division I of the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

. They are a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).

History

Black

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...

Jonathan C. Gibbs first introduced legislation to create the State Normal College for Colored Students in 1885, one year after being elected to the Florida Legislature. The date also reflects the new

Florida Constitution of 1885 Florida's Constitution of 1885, its fifth, was drawn up by the Constitutional Convention of 1885. The convention was held from June 9, 1885, until August 3, 1885, in Tallahassee, Florida "for the purpose of reforming the "Carpetbag" Constitution of ...

, which prohibited racial integration in schools. The college was located in Tallahassee because Leon County and adjacent counties led the state in African-American population, reflecting Tallahassee's former status as the center of Florida's slave trade. (See Tallahassee's black history.) The site of the university is the 375-acre slave plantation of Florida governor

William Pope Duval William Pope Duval (September 4, 1784 – March 19, 1854) was the first civilian governor of the Florida Territory, succeeding Andrew Jackson, who had been a military governor. In his twelve-year governorship, from 1822 to 1834, he divided Florid ...

, whose mansion, today the site of the Carnegie Library, burned in 1905. On October 3, 1887, the State Normal College for Colored Students began classes, and became a

land-grant college A land-grant university (also called land-grant college or land-grant institution) is an institution of higher education in the United States designated by a state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890, or a beneficiary ...

four years later when it received $7,500 under the Second

Morrill Act The Morrill Land-Grant Acts are United States statutes that allowed for the creation of land-grant colleges in U.S. states using the proceeds from sales of federally owned land, often obtained from Native American tribes through treaty, cessi ...

, and its name was changed to State Normal and Industrial College for Colored Students. However, it was not an official institution of higher learning until the 1905 Buckman Act, which transferred control from the Department of Education to the Board of Control, creating what was the foundation for the modern Florida A&M University. This same act is responsible for the creation of the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

and

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

from their previous institutions. In 1909, the name of the college was once again changed, to Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College for Negroes, and in 1953 the name was finally changed to Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. Florida A&M is the only surviving publicly funded historically black college or university in the state of Florida. ( Twelve publicly-funded junior colleges serving primarily the African-American population of Florida existed for different periods between 1949 and 1966.) In 1923, there was a student strike that led to the destruction of multiple campus buildings. The strike was a response to Governor Cary A. Hardee's attempts to eliminate the liberal arts program at the university and convert it to a purely vocational school. Hardee believed that a more educated black populace would be more likely to leave the state, which would negatively impact Florida's economy, and thus believed it was necessary to prevent African-American Floridians from being able to access non-vocational education. The conflict led to the resignation of university president Nathan B. Young, which in turn sparked a student protest that burned down multiple campus buildings. Ultimately, the liberal arts program was restored after the end of Hardee's term and the appointment of J. R. E. Lee as the fourth president of the university. In 1951, the university started a pharmacy and nursing program. In order to give these students hands-on experience, the university built a hospital. Until 1971 Florida A&M Hospital was the only one within of Tallahassee to serve African Americans. It closed in 1971, after then- Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, under federal pressure, started serving African Americans. On May 26, 1956, Wilhemina Jakes and Carrie Patterson, two Florida A&M University students, were arrested by the Tallahassee Police Department for "placing themselves in a position to incite a riot" which led to the

Tallahassee bus boycott The Tallahassee bus boycott was a political and social protest campaign against the policy of racial segregation on the public transit system of Tallahassee, Florida. The campaign lasted from May 26, 1956 to December 22, 1956, and contributed to ...

which sought to end racial segregation in the employment and seating arrangements of city buses. In 1963, FAMU students demonstrated against segregation in the city. In 1992, 1995, and 1997, FAMU successfully recruited more National Achievement Scholars than Harvard. FAMU tied with Harvard in 2000, recruiting 62 new National Achievement Scholars, although by 2006 that number had declined to one. The National Achievement Scholarship Corporation discontinued naming scholars in 2015. In the fall of 1997, FAMU was selected as the ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

''-''

Princeton Review The Princeton Review is an education services company providing tutoring, test preparation and admission resources for students. It was founded in 1981, and since that time has worked with over 400 million students. Services are delivered by 4,0 ...

'' "College of the Year" and was cited in 1999 by ''Black Issues in Higher Education'' for awarding more baccalaureate degrees to African-Americans than any institution in the nation. In 2011 Robert Champion, a band member, was beaten to death in a hazing incident. Two faculty members resigned in connection with a hazing investigation and thirteen people were charged with felony or misdemeanor hazing crimes; one student, a band member, was convicted of manslaughter and hazing charges and sentenced to six years in prison. The scandal resulted in the resignation of FAMU's president and played a role in the university's regional accreditor, the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees ap ...

, placing FAMU on probation for one year. In 2019, FAMU and other HBCUs developed a partnership with

Adtalem Global Education Adtalem Global Education Inc. is a US corporation based in Chicago, Illinois, that operates several for-profit school, for-profit higher education institutions, including American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, Chamberlain Unive ...

and its for-profit

Ross University School of Medicine Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) is a private, for-profit medical school. Its main campus is in Barbados, and its administrative offices are in Miramar, Florida. Until 2019, the university's main campus was in Portsmouth, Dominica. RU ...

in Barbados. In May 2024, FAMU administrators announced during a commencement ceremony that it had received a $237 million donation, the largest single personal donation to FAMU in its 136-year history and the largest gift ever to a

HBCU Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of serving African Americans. Most are in the Southern U ...

, from Gregory Gerami, CEO of Batterson Farms Corporation. The gift quickly came under scrutiny due to questions about its legitimacy. The donation was stock from Gerami's private company and its value could not be determined. In response to the public skepticism, FAMU paused the acceptance of the gift and initiated an external investigation to determine the soundness of the Gerami donation. The following month, university president Larry Robinson resigned. His resignation followed the May 2024 resignation of Shawnta Friday-Stroud, FAMU's former vice president for university advancement and executive director of the FAMU Foundation, who played a key role in negotiating the Gerami donation. In August 2024, FAMU released a final report prepared by

Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC is an American law firm and lobbying group based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The firm has more than 450 lawyers in offices in 15 U.S. cities. As of 2022, Buchanan Ingersoll is the third-largest law firm in Pittsbur ...

that concluded that the Gerami donation was of no real cash value. The report suggested that the proposed donor may have knowingly misrepresented his financial holdings and outlined how much the failed gift cost the university in actual travel and entertainment expenses as well as negative impact on the university's reputation.

University presidents

# Thomas Desaille Tucker 1887–1901 # Nathan B. Young 1901–1923 # William A. Howard 1923–1924 # John Robert Edward Lee 1924–1944 # J.B. Bragg April 5, 1944 – September 1, 1944 # William H. Gray, Jr. 1944–1949 # H. Manning Efferson July 7, 1949 – April 1, 1950 # George W. Gore 1950–1968 # Benjamin L. Perry, Jr. 1968–1977 # Walter L. Smith 1977–1985 # Frederick S. Humphries 1985–2001 # Henry Lewis III January 2002 – June 2002 # Fred Gainous 2002–2004 # Castell V. Bryant January 2005 – May 2007 # James H. Ammons July 2, 2007 – July 16, 2012 #

Elmira Mangum Elmira Mangum (born April 10, 1953) is an American educator and retired university administrator, who served as President of Florida A&M University from 2014 to 2017. She was the 11th President of FAMU and the first woman to permanently hold the ...

April 1, 2014 – September 15, 2016 #

Larry Robinson Larry Clark Robinson (born June 2, 1951) is a Canadian former ice hockey coach, executive and player. His coaching career includes head coaching positions with the New Jersey Devils (which he held on two occasions), as well as the Los Angeles Ki ...

November 30, 2017 – July 2024 (interim: May–July 2007, July 2012 – April 2014, September 2016 – November 2017) # Timothy L. Beard August 5, 2024 (interim)

Academics

The university offers 54 bachelor's degree programs, 29 master's degree programs, one professional degree, and 12 doctoral degree programs. It has 14 schools and colleges. Florida A&M also has an honors program for high-achieving undergraduate students who meet the high performance criteria. FAMU is a member school of the

Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) is a non-profit organization that supports and represents nearly 300,000 students attending its 55 member-schools that include public historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), medical school ...

. FAMU has nine fully funded, endowed, eminent-scholars chairs, including two in the School of Journalism and Graphic Communications, four in the School of Business & Industry, one in the College of Education, one in Arts and Sciences, and one in its School of Pharmacy. Tallahassee FL FAMU Coleman Library01

FAMU's law school is one of five in the United States where twice as many women enroll as men.

Colleges and schools

FAMU offers undergraduate and graduate degrees through the following colleges and schools: *College of Agriculture and Food Sciences *College of Education * FAMU - FSU College of Engineering *

College of Law A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary school ...

*College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Public Health *College of Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities *College of Science and Technology *School of Allied Health Sciences *School of Architecture and Engineering Technology *School of Business and Industry *School of the Environment *School of Graduate Studies and Research *School of Journalism and Graphic Communication *School of Nursing

Undergraduate admissions

The fall 2022 incoming freshmen class had an average high school

GPA Grading in education is the application of standardized measurements to evaluate different levels of student achievement in a course. Grades can be expressed as letters (usually A to F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), percentages, or as num ...

of 3.8 and an average

SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and Test score, scoring have changed several times. For much of its history, it was called the Scholastic Aptitude Test ...

score of 1019 and ACT score of 22. The 2022 undergraduate admission rate was 31.9%

Demographics

Florida A&M University student enrollment population consists primarily of undergraduates. 83% of the school's enrolled students are

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

. The next largest demographic group is White (non-Hispanic) students at 7%, followed by Hispanic students at 6%. Multiracial, Asian, Native American, and international students round out the remaining 4%.

Accreditation

Florida A&M University has been accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) since 1935.

Graduation rate

In 2020, FAMU's four-year graduation rate was 21%, while its six-year graduation rate was 55%.

Rankings

The 2024 edition of the '' U.S. News & World Report'' college rankings placed FAMU 170th among national universities, 91st among public universities, third among HBCUs, and first among public HBCUs. FAMU was also named 21st in the Top Performers in Social Mobility category. It is

classified Classified may refer to: General *Classified information, material that a government body deems to be sensitive *Classified advertising or "classifieds" Music *Classified (rapper) (born 1977), Canadian rapper * The Classified, a 1980s American ro ...

among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". For 2017, the

National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...

ranked Florida A&M University 216th nationally and 2nd among HBCUs for total research and development expenditures.

Research

FAMU's annual research funding is $44.5 million. The university has access to research funding from many Federal agencies. FAMU's two largest research areas are agriculture and health sciences. The Pharmacy College's research funding is $20.2 million ($20.2 million in federal, $300k in state support, and from $300k in private industry support) with $29,281,352 committed.

Campus

FAMU's main campus is in

, just south of the State Capitol and the campus of

. It also has a law school campus in

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

, and the Research and Development Center in

Quincy, Florida Quincy is a city in and the county seat of Gadsden County, Florida, United States. Quincy is part of the Tallahassee metropolitan area, Tallahassee, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,970 as of the 2020 census, almost eve ...

. The College of Pharmacy has extension campuses in Miami, Jacksonville, Tampa and Crestview, Florida.

Residential facilities

FAMU requires all first-year students to live on campus, if their families are over from the FAMU campus. Exceptions to this rule include married students, students with dependents, and students who are of age 21 by the start of classes."Frequently Asked Questions"
. Florida A&M University. Retrieved on October 2, 2011. FAMU's residential living community consists of eight on-campus residence halls housing over 2,500 students. The university offers a diverse number of living options including traditional dorms, suite-style halls, and on-campus apartments. In 2020, FAMU opened th
FAMU Towers
a residence hall offering co-ed floors and 700 double rooms, in close proximity to campus eatery, The Hub.

National historic district

consists of 132 buildings spread across . Part of the campus is listed on the U.S.

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

as the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College Historic District. It received that designation on May 9, 1996. The district is centered along the section of Martin Luther King Boulevard that goes through the campus. According to the National Register, it covers , and contains 14 historic buildings and 1 object. One campus building, the old Carnegie Library, is listed separately on the National Register. On April 18, 2012, the

AIA AIA or A.I.A. or Aia may refer to: Aia * Aia, a small town in the province of Gipuzkoa, Spain * Peñas de Aya, small mountain range in Oiartzun, Gipuzkoa * Aia, current Kutaisi, ancient capital of Colchis * Aia, another name for Aea (Malis), an ...

's Florida Chapter placed Lee Hall at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) on its list of ''Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places''.

Research centers and institutes

The Division of Research houses 17 different research centers and institutes: *Center for Biological Control *Center for Disability Access and Resources *Center for Environmental Equity and Justice *Environmental Cooperative Sciences Center (ECSC) *Center for Intelligent Systems, Control, and Robotics (CISCOR) *Center for International Agricultural Trade, Developmentg Research and Training *Center for International Law and Justice *Center for Plasma Science and Technology *Center for Viticulture Science and Small Fruit Research *Center for Water and Air Quality *Center for Secure Computing and Information Assistance *Meek-Eaton Southeastern Regional Black Archives Research Center and Museum *Small Business Development Center *Institute for Building Sciences *Juvenile Justice Research Institute *Institute for Research in Music and Entertainment Industry Studies *Institute of Public Health

Libraries

The Samuel H. Coleman Memorial Library is the university's main library, named for the man who served as the university's general alumni president for 14 years. After the university's main building containing administrative offices, cafeteria, and library were destroyed by fire,

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...

donated a $10,000 gift for the construction of a new library facility. The construction of Coleman Library began during the post-World War II era. The new library was officially dedicated during FAMU's 1949 annual Founders Day celebration in honor of civil leader Samuel H. Coleman. The library was built in 1948, renovated in 1972, expanded in 1990 and again in 2004. The facility includes study rooms, a student study lounge and cafe, graduate and faculty study carrels, teleconference rooms, and a state-of-the-art information literacy classroom. The libraries hold nearly 2 million volumes, over 155,000 e-books and e-journals, and 256,126 microforms.

Carnegie Library

The library of what was then the State Normal and Industrial College for Colored Students was located in the grandest building on the campus, Duval Hall, the former mansion of Florida governor

, which also held the university's administrative offices and cafeteria. It was destroyed by fire in 1905.

donated a $10,000 gift for the construction of a new library facility. In 1907, when the city of Tallahassee turned down philanthropist

's offer of a library building, because by his rules it would have had to serve black patrons, Carnegie funded instead the

Carnegie Library at FAMU The Carnegie Library at FAMU is a historic building on the campus of Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida. Built in 1908, the two-story, white-columned building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. "It was par ...

. It no longer serves as a library, but instead houses the Southeastern Regional Black Archives Research Center and Museum.

Athletics

Florida A&M University is a member of the

Southwestern Athletic Conference The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which is made up of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southern United St ...

and participates in

Division I-FCS. FAMU's sports teams are called the Rattlers. FAMU offers men's sports in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, tennis and track and field. It offers women's sports in basketball, bowling, cheerleading, cross country, softball, tennis, track and field and volleyball. From 1938 to 1961, the football team won the Black College National Championship eight times, including six times under head coach

Jake Gaither Alonzo Smith "Jake" Gaither (April 11, 1903 – February 18, 1994) was an American college football coach and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Florida A&M University (FAMU) for 25 years, from 1945 to 1969, compilin ...

, in 1950, 1952, 1954, 1957, 1959 and 1961. When Gaither retired after 25 years of coaching in 1969, his FAMU teams had a 203-36-4 (wins-losses-ties) record, for a .844 winning percentage. Thirty-six players from Gaither's teams were

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

ns, and 42 went on to play in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

. During his 25 years as head coach, FAMU won 22

Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Formed in 1913, it consists mostly of historically black col ...

championships. Gaither was elected to the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

in 1975. FAMU went on to win the first NCAA D1-AA National Championship in 1978 after defeating the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and was founded in 1863 as the ...

. The men's basketball team has qualified for the opening round game of the NCAA men's basketball tournament three times (1999, 2004 and 2007).

Student life

FAMU is one of the largest HBCUs in the nation with a student body of nearly 10,000 students hailing from all regions of the United States and several foreign countries. Individuals part of the FAMU community are affectionately referred to as "FAMUly" or members of "Rattler Nation". FAMU has over 100 student organizations on campus.

Notable student organizations

Student Government Association

The Student Government Association (SGA) is the official voice of the student body and is divided into three branches: Executive, Judicial, and Legislative.

FAMU Royal Court

Miss FAMU, Mister FAMU, and other students represent the university in its royal court. Miss FAMU, Mister FAMU, and female students known as "attendants", are elected by the student body; there are one each of freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, and graduate attendants and a queen of "orange and green". The male "escorts" of the attendants are appointed by Mister FAMU through an application process. The only male escort that wears a crown besides Mister FAMU is the king of "orange and green". The attendants and escorts are undergraduate students, except for one attendant and one escort who are graduate students.

Gospel Choir

The FAMU Gospel Choir was established in 1957.

Reserve Officers Training Corps

FAMU is home to both

Army ROTC The Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (AROTC) is the United States Army component of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. It is the largest Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program which is a group of college and university-based officer tr ...

and

Naval ROTC The Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) program is a college-based, commissioned officer training program of the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. Origins A pilot Naval Reserve unit was established in September 1924 ...

units, permitting students to pursue careers as commissioned officers in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

, and U.S. Marine Corps, upon graduation. For those FAMU students desiring to become commissioned officers in the

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 ...

, a cross-campus arrangement permits their taking

Air Force ROTC The Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps (AFROTC) is one of the three primary commissioning sources for officers in the United States Air Force and United States Space Force, the other two being the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA ...

training with the AFROTC detachment at nearby

(FSU). Likewise, Florida State students desiring to become Navy and Marine Corps officers may also enroll with FAMU's NROTC unit under a similar arrangement.

Marching band

The FAMU marching band, the Marching 100, received national recognition in January 1993 when it performed in the 42nd presidential inauguration parade by invitation of

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

. The band has also performed in the Super Bowl and in the 44th presidential inauguration parade for

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

. In 2019, the marching band performed in the

Rose Parade The Rose Parade, also known as the Tournament of Roses Parade (or simply the Tournament of Roses), is an annual parade held mostly along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California, United States, on New Year's Day (or on Monday, January 2 if New ...

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...

, on New Year's Day.

Student media

*''The FAMUAN'' – The student newspaper *''Journey Magazine'' – The student magazine *FAMU 20 TV – The FAMU TV news broadcast network * WANM 90.5 FM – The university owned and operated radio station.

Notable alumni

* E. Lilyan Spencer (1906–1957), tennis player, basketball coach and principal. Winner of the 1937 women's doubles national ATA tennis championship. *

Sylvia Lyons Render Sylvia Lyons Render (June 8, 1913 – February 3, 1986) was an American academic and curator. Recognized for her expertise in the life and writings of Charles W. Chestnutt, Render was the first African American to earn a doctoral degree from the ...

(1913–1986), English professor and manuscript curator at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

; first African American to receive a doctoral degree from the

Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development (also known as Vanderbilt Peabody College, Peabody College, or simply Peabody) is the education school of Vanderbilt University, a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. ...

Cannonball Adderley Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley (September 15, 1928August 8, 1975) was an American jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist of the hard bop era of the 1950s and 1960s. Adderley is perhaps best remembered by the general public for the 1966 soul ...

(born 1928) music educator and one of the most pre-eminent prestigious jazz saxophonists in jazz history, performed on the pivotal album ''Kind of Blue'' with Miles Davis * Frederick S. Humphries (born 1935), eighth president of Florida A&M University from June 1, 1985 to December 31, 2001. Under the Humphries administration, FAMU was selected as "College of the Year" by the TIME/Princeton Review in 1997 and recognized in the State University System as a Comprehensive/Doctoral University in 1999. * Sybil C. Mobley (born 1925), founding dean of Florida A&M University'sSchool of Business and Industry. Mobley served on the boards of directors of Anheuser-Busch Company, Champion International Corporation, Hershey Foods Corporation, Sears Roebuck & Company, Southwestern Bell Corporation, Dean Witter, and Discover. *

Althea Gibson Althea Neale Gibson (August 25, 1927September 28, 2003) was an American tennis player and professional golfer, and one of the first Black athletes to cross the color line of international tennis. In 1956, she became the first African America ...

(born 1927), first African American to win a Grand Slam title (the French Championships). In all, she won 11 Grand Slam tournaments: five singles titles, five doubles titles, and one mixed doubles title. *

Bob Hayes Robert Lee Hayes (December 20, 1942 – September 18, 2002), nicknamed "Bullet Bob", was an American sprinter and professional football player. After winning gold medals at the 1964 Summer Olympics, he played as a split end in the National F ...

(born 1942), only athlete to win both an Olympic gold medal and a Super Bowl ring. He was once considered the "world's fastest human" by virtue of his multiple world records in the 60-yard, 100-yard, 220-yard, and Olympic 100-meter dashes. * Bernard Kinsey (born 1943), Los Angeles philanthropist and entrepreneur with a passion for African-American history and art of the 19th and 20h centuries *

David Scott (Georgia politician) David Albert Scott (born June 27, 1945) is an American politician and businessman who has served as the U.S. representative for since 2003. Scott's district includes all of Rockdale County, as well as portions of Clayton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, He ...

(born 1945), politician and businessman who has served as the U.S. representative for Georgia's 13th congressional district since 2003 * Shirley Kinsey (born 1946), Los Angeles-based philanthropist, art collector, and former school teacher known, along with husband Bernard and son Khalil, as the owner of Kinsey Collection, one of the largest private collections of African-American history and art in the world. *

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), known professionally as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer. He is best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Tired of ...

(Born 1947) politician who serves as the U.S. Representative from Texas' 9th congressional district since 2005. *

Al Lawson Alfred James Lawson Jr. (born September 23, 1948) is an American businessman and politician who was the U.S. representative for Florida's 5th congressional district from 2017 to 2023. The district, which was eliminated following redistricting ...

(born 1948), politician who served as the U.S. representative for Florida's 5th congressional district, serving from 2017 to 2023 * John W. Thompson (born 1949), technology executive who was the chair of

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...

from 2014 until June 2021 *

Andre Dawson Andre Nolan Dawson (born July 10, 1954), nicknamed "the Hawk" and "Awesome Dawson", is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for four different teams as a center and r ...

(born 1954), 8-time

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

All-Star,

NL MVP The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. The award has been presented by the Baseball Writers ...

, and

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...

inductee *

Pam Oliver Pam Oliver (born ) is an American sportscaster known for her work on the sidelines for various National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Football League (NFL) games. Early life and education Oliver was born in Dallas, Texas. She att ...

(born 1960/1961), sportscaster known for her work on the sidelines for various National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Football League (NFL) games *

T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh (born Crystal Walker; October 13, 1962) is an American actress and singer. In addition to her status as an original cast member of the Fox sketch comedy series '' In Living Color'' (1990–1994), Keymáh is also known fo ...

(born 1962), actress and singer * Winsome Sinclair (1965–2024), casting director and film producer * Kimberly Godwin, former professor at Florida A&M University. In April 2021, Godwin was named president of ABC News. She is the first Black woman to lead a major American network's broadcast news division * Sidney August Anthony Miller Jr., publisher of ''Black Radio Exclusive'' magazine, BRE Radio Conference *

Keisha Lance Bottoms Keisha Lance Bottoms ( Lance; born January 18, 1970) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 60th mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, from 2018 to 2022. She was elected mayor in 2017. Before becoming mayor, she was a member of the Atla ...

(born 1970), attorney and politician who served as the 60th mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, from 2018 to 2022 *

Common (rapper) Lonnie Rashid Lynn (born March 13, 1972), known professionally as Common (formerly known as Common Sense), is an American rapper and actor. The recipient of three Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award, ...

(born 1972), known by his stage name Common (also known as Common Sense), is rapper and actor *

Anika Noni Rose Anika Noni Rose (born September 6, 1972) is an American actress. She is best known for voicing Tiana (The Princess and the Frog), Tiana in ''The Princess and the Frog'' (2009). She was named a Disney Legends, Disney Legend in 2011. Rose starred ...

(born 1972), actress and singer. She is best known for voicing Tiana, Disney's first African-American princess, as seen in The Princess and the Frog (2009). She was named a Disney Legend in 2011 *

Will Packer William Packer (born April 11, 1974) is an American film producer who founded Will Packer Productions, and Will Packer Media. Packer has produced or executive produced a wide range of movies that have grossed more than $1 billion worldwide at ...

(born 1974), film producer often known for hit big-screen comedies including

Think Like a Man ''Think Like a Man'' is a 2012 American romantic comedy film directed by Tim Story, written by Keith Merryman and David A. Newman, and produced by Will Packer. It was based on Steve Harvey's 2009 book '' Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man''. The f ...

(2012), Ride Along (2014),

Think Like a Man Too ''Think Like a Man Too'' is a 2014 American romantic comedy film directed by Tim Story. It is the sequel to the 2012 film '' Think Like a Man'', based on Steve Harvey's 2009 book '' Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man''. The script was written by D ...

(2014),

The Wedding Ringer ''The Wedding Ringer'' is a 2015 American buddy romantic comedy film directed and co-written by Jeremy Garelick in his directorial debut. It stars Kevin Hart, Josh Gad, and Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting. The film was produced by Adam Fields, Will Pac ...

(2015),

Girls Trip ''Girls Trip'' is a 2017 American comedy film starring Regina Hall, Tiffany Haddish, Jada Pinkett Smith and Queen Latifah. The film is directed by Malcolm D. Lee and written by Kenya Barris and Tracy Oliver, from a story by the pair and E ...

(2017),

Night School A night school is an adult learning school that holds classes in the evening or at night to accommodate people who work during the day. A community college or university may hold night school classes that admit undergraduates. Italy The scuol ...

(2018), and

What Men Want ''What Men Want'' is a 2019 American romantic comedy film directed by Adam Shankman and starring Taraji P. Henson, Aldis Hodge, Josh Brener, Erykah Badu, Richard Roundtree and Tracy Morgan. The film is a loose remake of the 2000 film ''What Wome ...

(2019) *

Janelle Bynum Janelle Sojourner Bynum (née Irick; born January 31, 1975) is an American politician and businesswoman serving as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Oregon's 5th district since 2025. She is a member of the Democratic Pa ...

(born 1975), politician, electrical engineer, and businesswoman who serves as the representative from

Oregon's 5th congressional district Oregon's 5th congressional district stretches from the Southeast corner of Portland through the eastern half of the Willamette Valley and then reaches across the Cascades to take in Sisters and Bend. It includes a sliver of Multnomah County, ...

in the U.S. Congress. *

Byron Donalds Byron Lowell Donalds (born October 28, 1978) is an American politician and financial analyst serving as the U.S. representative for Florida's 19th congressional district since 2021. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Par ...

(born 1978), politician and financial analyst who serves as the representative from

Florida's 19th congressional district Florida's 19th congressional district is a List of United States congressional districts, U.S. congressional district in Southwest Florida. It includes the cities of Cape Coral, Florida, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Florida, Fort Myers, Fort Myers Be ...

in the U.S. Congress. *

Roy Wood Jr. Roy Norris Wood Jr.Stated on ''Finding Your Roots'', May 4, 2021 (born December 11, 1978) is an American stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian and actor who first became well known for his correspondent appearances on ''The Daily Show''. Wood has b ...

(born 1978), comedian, actor,

Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk and news satire television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central in the United States, with extended episodes released shortly after on Paramount+. ''The Daily Show'' ...

correspondent *

Andrew Gillum Andrew Demetric Gillum (born July 26, 1979) is an American former politician who served as the 126th Mayors of Tallahassee, Florida, mayor of Tallahassee, Florida, from 2014 to 2018. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic P ...

(born 1979), nominee for governor of Florida from the Democratic Party and 126th mayor of

Karamo Brown Karamo Karega Brown (born November 2, 1980) is an American television host, reality television personality, author, actor, and activist. Brown began his career in 2004 on the MTV reality show '' The Real World: Philadelphia''. He currently stars ...

(born 1980), host of ''

Queer Eye ''Queer Eye'' is a television franchise based upon a team of gay professionals (the "Fab 5") giving lifestyle and fashion makeovers to guests. ''Queer Eye'' may refer to: * ''Queer Eye'' (2003 TV series), an American reality television series on ...

'' *

K. Michelle Kimberly Michelle Pate (born March 4, 1982) is an American Country, Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, and television personality. She was a regular cast member on the VH1 reality television series ''Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta'' during its first two sea ...

(born 1982), R&B singer, songwriter, and television personality * Ibram X Kendi (born 1982), author, professor, anti-racist activist, and historian of race and discriminatory policy in America *

Amin Stevens Amin Khalil Stevens (born October 26, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for Maccabi Ramat Gan of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. Before his professional career, he played college basketball for Florida A&M. In 2013 he ...

(born 1990), basketball player in the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...

Stacey Finley Stacey Finley is the Nichole A. and Thuan Q. Pham Professor and associate professor of chemical engineering and materials science, and quantitative and computational biology at the University of Southern California. Finley has a joint appointmen ...

, American science professor *

Ebony Elizabeth Thomas Ebony Elizabeth Thomas is an American writer and educator who is a professor at the University of Michigan School of Education. Her research considers children's literature and fan culture. Her book, ''The Dark Fantastic'', was awarded the 2020 Ch ...

, American writer and educator

Notable faculty

* D. Antoinette Handy, flautist and music scholar

Explanatory notes

References

External links

*
Official athletics website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Florida Agricultural And Mechanical University 1887 establishments in Florida African-American tourist attractions in Florida Education in Tallahassee, Florida Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida Historically black universities and colleges in Florida Land-grant universities and colleges National Register of Historic Places in Tallahassee, Florida Public universities and colleges in Florida Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Universities and colleges established in 1887 Universities and colleges in Leon County, Florida