Photo courtesy: Dalilah Posley
Florida A&M University learned Monday that it is still the No. 1-ranked public HBCU in
the country, according to U.S. News & World Report. FAMU has held that honor for the
past four years.
The university is ranked No. 7 overall among HBCUs, trailing Spelman, Howard, Xavier,
Hampton, Morehouse and Tuskegee — all private institutions.
FAMU also moved up one spot to No.103 among all public universities and colleges in
the country. One of the university’s missions is to be among the top 100 public
institutions n the nation.
FAMU President Larry Robinson said he was pleased to find that the school could keep
its ranking through tough times and challenges.
“FAMU continues to carve a path forward in educating and training our graduates to
have an impact in the communities where we live and serve,” Robinson said in a
statement.
Jadah Amisial, a fourth-year business administration student at FAMU, believes that
even though the school has had issues of late, it was good for the student body to know
the university continues to be highly regarded among its peers.
“I feel we still deserve the No. 1 spot considering the pride, spirit and academics FAMU
offers,” he said. “This school stands together, especially as an HBCU. In life, we have
minor setbacks, but it’s all on the growth to learn from those mistakes.”
It’s tempting to connect the dots from Saturday’s first home football game — a relatively
easy win over Albany State — and the news of FAMU’s impressive presence in the
national rankings. FAMU beat Albany State 23-13.
During the game, first-year students and alumni supported their team by wearing colors
to represent the schools spirit despise those unfortunate challenges within the last
weeks.
Many students believed the infamous nude photos posted by a July graduate “cursed
the school.” The former student, Terica Williams, took some explicit pictures in front of
the rattler snake statue at the CASS building, causing an uproar on campus. After this
situation, a number of unfortunate events cascaded on the school on the highest of
seven hills. The flame went out, living conditions were rearranged due to flooding and
pest infestations, and the football program faced a rash of eligibility issues as it started
the season.
Aaron Jones, a psychology major, believes the school is doing what it needs to do to
prevent future hardships.
“I love my HBCU. I can say we are learning from our mistakes as a university,” Jones
said. “I wouldn’t get half the opportunities going to another university if it wasn’t for
FAMU. We still have a long way to go, but I see a great future here at FAMU.”