“The theme for this year is Leadership,” said Jennifer Harrison-Hauer, FAMU’s Student Health Services Health Educator. “Leaders are distinguished by their actions, originality, and vision; their personal example and engagement of others; and their perseverance in the face of obstacles and challenges. However, leaders are not necessarily those in high offices. Leadership can occur at every level – in families, churches, organizations, and right here on the campus of Florida A&M University. With that in mind, anyone can be a leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Stand strong and make a commitment to become a leader against this preventable disease. Get tested for HIV and encourage others to know their status. The more people tested means less people infected. Talk about HIV/AIDS with family, friends, and loved ones. Educate yourself and others about ways to prevent becoming infected.”
For a complete listing of events, go to FAMU.edu.Wednesday, November 28, 2007
FAMU Student Health Services will Observe World AIDS Day
Monday, November 26, 2007
RW News: Finalists named for the Position of Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs
The search committee for the position of Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Florida A&M University has identified five finalists who will be interview beginning November 26 through December 5. The Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs is the second highest-ranking position at the university and reports directly to the President. The search committee is expected to submit its list of three unranked finalists to FAMU President Ammons no later than Monday, December 10.
The five finalists are the following: Perry Massey, professor, Department of Government and History at Fayetteville State University in Fayetteville, NC; Cynthia Hughes Harris, dean for the School of Allied Health Sciences at FAMU; K.K. Bentil, retired president for the Medical Center Campus, Miami Dade College in Miami, Fla.; James Wyche, CEO and principal scientist for the Presbyterian Health Foundation in Oklahoma City, Okla.; Lemuel Berry, Jr., educational consultant, Scarborough, Maine.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
RW News: FAMU ASKS U.S. ATTORNEY’S OFFICE TO INVESTIGATE UNAUTHORIZED GRADE CHANGES
Florida A&M University has asked the U.S. Attorney’s Office to take over the FAMU grade change investigation.
University officials said they believe their involvement would strengthen the university’s efforts to have those involved prosecuted. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has committed to the investigation.
“We are pleased that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has made this determination,” said Sharon P. Saunders, university spokesperson. “Their involvement will send a signal that we are serious about seeking prosecution.”
On September 18, 2007, FAMU Police Department launched an investigation after discovering that unauthorized grade changes had been made.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
RW News: FAMU’s Social Work with Children’s Class Sponsors Around the World Event
Katisa Donaldson, professor for the Social Work with Children class stated this event will expose a child to new and exciting adventures.
“Children in our community will have a chance to travel around the world without leaving Tallahassee,” said Donaldson. “The students in my class have worked very hard to make each child’s travel experience one they will never forget.”
Admission is free and open to the general public. For more information, contact Albert Williams at (863) 228-4127 or Rinadi Tropnas at (239) 398-1836.
RW Sports: FAMU Begins Hiring Process for New Athletics Director and Head Football Coach
Athletic Director Nelson Townsend resigned today and will be on administrative leave with pay until February 12, 2008, his last day of employment. Head Football Coach Rubin Carter, received a “notice of non-reappointment and employment separation.” He has been placed on administrative leave with pay. His last day of employment is April 22, 2008.
Ammons said that he would fill the positions by the end of the year. He announced to the staff in the athletics department this morning that Allen Bogan, an assistant professor and former assistant football coach, would serve as interim until a permanent director is hired.
“I am appreciative of tremendous work Mr. Townsend and Coach Carter have done during the period when we were working to address the NCAA sanctions,” said Ammons. “We want to move in a new direction with the athletics program. I’m moving forward with the hiring process.”
Townsend began his tenure at FAMU in January 2006 as the athletics director. He has had more than 30 years of experience in athletics and education. He previously served as director of athletics at FAMU from 1986-1987. He also served as athletic director at University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Delaware State University and the University of Buffalo.
Carter was appointed head coach in July 2005. He was an All-American defensive lineman at the University of Miami in 1974 and had a 12-year career in the National Football League with the Denver Broncos. Prior to coming to FAMU, Carter had more than 18 years of professional and collegiate coaching experience.
RW News: FAMU Pharmacy Faculty received Certification as a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology
ABT diplomates participate in all aspects of the profession of toxicology including: the design and interpretation of safety studies for product development; review and interpretation of such studies for regulatory compliance; basic and applied research into toxic effects, mechanisms of toxic action, toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics; and education of undergraduates, professional and graduate students and the public in the science of toxicology through courses, legal cases and media interactions.
While the majority of diplomates reside in the U.S., approximately six percent of ABT diplomates are found in other countries worldwide. These countries include Canada, Europe, Australia, Japan, Korea, India, Singapore, and Taiwan. The acceptance of ABT certification as a qualification for membership by the national registries of several European countries, and thus by Eurotox, demonstrates ABT's leadership role in the certification of toxicologists.
Khalil’s certification is valid for a period of five years, and in 2011 he will begin his recertification process. ABT considers periodic recertification of diplomates as essential to maintaining high standards of professional competence. Recertification is conducted at five-year intervals and requires demonstration of continuing education and the active practice of toxicology.
“As a board member, we are charged with working with all regulatory agencies including the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency and can be called upon to testify as an expert in the field of toxicology,”
Khalil said. “I am excited about the opportunity to serve in the capacity of a diplomate for ABT.”
“The College is proud of Khalil’s accomplishments and being included in the distinguished group of over 2000 certified toxicologists who are diplomates of ABT,” said Henry Lewis III, dean and professor of FAMU’s COPPS. “He joins Cynthia Harris, director of the Institute of Public Health within the College with this designation.”
The mission of the American Board of Toxicology is to establish standards for professional competency in the field of toxicology and advance awareness of its position as the premier certifying body in the field.
RW News: FAMU Department of Social Work Granted Full Accreditation for its Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees Programs
“We are extremely excited and proud,” said Brenda Jarmon, chair of FAMU’s Department of Social Work. “The faculty, staff, and I work very hard every day to ensure that our students succeed. I know that Victoria Warner, founder of social work at FAMU, would be very proud of us. She worked tirelessly to establish social work as a bona fide discipline at FAMU. She secured initial accreditation of our BSW program in 1974, and led the charge for professionalizing BSW programs across the country. We are proud to continue her legacy at the BSW and MSW levels.”
The official social work program began with one introductory course in the Department of Sociology during the 1950 - 1951 academic year. By 1956, a six-course sequence was available as a minor for students majoring in the liberal arts. A bachelor’s degree in social work was first offered in 1979 under the leadership of Warner. Under her direction, the program achieved departmental status in the 1990-1991 academic year.
“I am extremely pleased that our social work program has received reaccredidation from the Council of Social Work Education,” said Ralph Turner, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Having an accredited social work program enhances our recruitment of good faculty and students. It also expands and affords our students’ eligibility for licensure and jobs in the marketplace.”
The BSW program received full accreditation in 1974 and the MSW program received initial accreditation in 2002. The department is housed in Banneker B, Suite 300 and has 170 BSW majors and 43 MSW majors.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
RW News: FAMU Pioneer Hansel Tookes Succumbs
Jacksonville native served in numerous roles at Florida A&M University and remained active in alumni, athletic affairs after retirement Hansel E. “Tootie” Tookes, a longtime Florida A&M University (FAMU) athletic administrator and educator, passed away Wednesday evening. He was 86.
The funeral service is scheduled for Monday, November 19, at 11 a.m. at Bethel Baptist Church, 417 West Tennessee Street.
“Coach Tookes was a legend in the life of Florida A&M University,” said President James H. Ammons. “He was a true Rattler who was admired and respected by many. This a great lost to the FAMU family. He will long be remembered for his longtime support and generous contributions. He was a great guy who maintained a sense of humor even throughout his illness. What I enjoyed most about him were the messages and the advice he gave me to take to the football team as I talked to them prior to the game. He will be missed.”
Tookes, whose passion and enthusiasm for FAMU, its Health and Physical Education Department and the school’s storied athletic program, never waned in his later years following his retirement in the late 1980s. He remained an active member of the FAMU Alumni Association, the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., the FAMU National Varsity “F” Club and the FAMU Sports Hall of Fame Steering Committee.
Indicative of his continuing love for FAMU, Tookes and wife, Lavada, began a scholarship endowment program for the Health, Physical Education and Recreation Department in the late 1990s.
A native of Jacksonville, Fla., Tookes served as Director of Athletics at FAMU, chaired the FAMU Health, Physical Education and Recreation Department and oversaw the FAMU Intramural Department during his career at the university.
From 1947 through the mid-1960s, Tookes served on the FAMU football coaching staff, under legendary Hall of Fame Coach A.S. “Jake” Gaither, mentoring the tackles and serving as the team’s advance scout of future opponents. He also served as the school’s golf coach.
He was appointed athletics director in 1975, upon the retirement of Gaither, serving in that role until the fall of 1980.
“Coach Tookes,” as many knew him, founded the FAMU Sports Hall of Fame in 1976, an institution that has now honored more than 200 former athletes, coaches, administrators and supporters.
Tookes also oversaw the FAMU athletic program’s transition to NCAA Division I in the late 1970s, helping transition the program from membership in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) to affiliation with the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in 1980.
Undoubtedly, the move that he will be most remembered for during his reign as athletics director was his role in the creation of the Florida Classic football game between FAMU and Bethune-Cookman College, which began a 27-year run in 1978 in Tampa.
Tookes, along with Bethune-Cookman athletic director Lloyd “Tank” Johnson, former FAMU President Walter L. Smith and former B-CC President Oswald P. Bronson, hammered out the deal for the Classic, which has now grown to epic proportions, annually drawing 70,000 fans to the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla.
Also known for his enthusiastic vocalizing of the fabled FAMU battle cry, “Hubba, Hubba,” at sports and alumni gatherings, Tookes began his long association with FAMU as a student-athlete on the Rattler football team.
An All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tackle for the Rattlers from 1939 to 1942, Tookes helped FAMU to win Black College National Championships in 1940 and 1942.
After graduating from FAMU, Tookes continued his athletic career in the United States Army, where he stood out as a tackle for the Camp Lee team for three years.
He returned to FAMU in 1947, joining the Rattler athletic staff as an assistant football coach and golf coach, while also serving as associate professor in the Health and Physical Education Department.
His wife, Lavada, two sons, Hansel II and Darryl, and several grandchildren survive him.
RW Soul: FAMU Students Encourage Other Students to “Keep off the Grass”
“Students, especially, should do their part to take care of their campus,” said D’Andra Escuffery, an 18-year old freshmen nursing student from Ft. Lauderdale. “We’ve been out here for an hour trying to explain to students that keeping off the grass and taking pride in the university’s appearance is just the beginning.”
The students are a part of Jeffery Mills’ African-American history class, and decided to take the matters of instilling school pride and spirit into their peers in their own hands after a class lecture.
“My class is currently studying about an era in which there was a boom of black-owned businesses and the pride surrounding them,” said Mills. “I noticed that lately the university has been doing a great deal to keep the institution looking it’s best. Encouraging students to keep off the grass is just one way to promote that same pride and ownership, as well as cultivate an attitude for what the university stands for.”
According to Mills, this is just the beginning. Mills and his students plan to continue their efforts to “keep the campus green.” He also noted that each student earns extra credit for
participating and they will be on the quad for the remainder of the week.
Keontra Campbell, a 19-year-old freshmen history education student from Pensacola, stated if those benefiting directly from FAMU [students] do not act as though the institution has any significance, then outsiders would not see its significance either.
“It’s up to us to see that others learn about FAMU’s history and take part in preserving it,” he said. “Encouraging students to avoid walking on the grass is the least we can do.”
FAMU President James H. Ammons made his way to the quad to greet and congratulate the students for their effort.
“The effort made by these students symbolizes so much more than what meets the eye,” said Ammons. “By encouraging their peers to keep off the grass, students are not only encouraging other students to preserve the appearance of the institution, they are, in turn, instilling a sense of pride in students.”
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
FAMU Pharmacy Alumnus elected President of the Association of Black Health-System Pharmacists
Watkins serves as Chief, Bureau for Statewide Pharmaceutical Services, Florida Department of Health (DOH). In his role, he manages a budget in excess of $100 million and the provision of pharmaceutical services to all Florida Department of Health facilities. He oversees the States’ Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, Florida Formulatory system, assists in expansion of the States’ Pharmaceutical Stockpile Program, provides technical support for all areas of pharmaceutical services related to preparedness, and coordinates with the pharmacy managers of County Health Departments and DOH during times of disaster.
For more information visit famu.edu
FAMU Pharmacy Alumnus Appointed to the Michigan Board of Pharmacy
Gwenesia Collins, a 1999 doctor of pharmacy graduate of the Florida A&M University's College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (COPPS), was recently appointed by Jennifer M. Granholm, Governor of Michigan, to the Michigan Board of Pharmacy for a four-year term. The Michigan Board of Pharmacy consists of 11 voting members — six pharmacists and five public members. The board currently oversees approximately 12,535 pharmacists, 2,931 pharmacies and 937 manufacturers/wholesalers.Additionally, Collins serves as CEO and managing member of Tri Unity Infusion, LLC, located in Masonic Fraser, MI, which provides home fusion services. Home infusion therapy involves the administration of medications using intravenous, subcutaneous, and epidural routes.
“I consider it an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to serve my fellow pharmacists and the citizens of Michigan with excellence and integrity, “said Collins.
“The College of Pharmacy family is elated about Collins’ recent appointment to the Michigan Board of Pharmacy,” “aid Henry Lewis III, dean and professor of the FAMU COPPS. “Collins typifies the professional caliber and level of public service commitment of our alumni.”
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
RW Soul: “Orlando 9” is the beginning of a new wave of recruiting for FAMU Football
This group of talented student-athletes is the largest number of Orange County area players on a FAMU football roster in several years. They also represent the positive results of two years of intensive high school recruiting by FAMU head coach Rubin Carter and his staff.
Upon his appointment as head coach in July of 2005, Carter pledged to make an effort to reconnect FAMU Football with high school programs in the State of Florida, and this group of youngsters is part of that bumper crop of Sunshine State prospects that signed on with the Rattlers.
“Interestingly enough, two of the Orlando-area players on the Rattler roster went to high school right down the street from the stadium where the annual Classic battle will be played out,” said Alvin Hollins, assistant athletic director for external operations/media relations.
Sophomore center Kwame Akkebela and second-year linebacker Damien Priester both graduated from Orlando’s Jones High School, which is less than a mile away from the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium.
Akkebela, a 6-4, 255-pound lineman, was the former All-State, All-Area and All-District performer. He was the starting center for the Rattlers all season until the FAMU Homecoming game, helping anchor a group which allowed the fewest quarterback sacks in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference so far this year.
He saw action in six games as freshman in 2006, finishing with 12 tackles (nine solo, three assists). He tallied a season high eight tackles (six solo, two assists) against Hampton University.
A two-sport athlete at Jones High, who competed in football and track, Priester was named the team’s Most Valuable Player in 2005, earning All-Metro honors, and All Orange County honors in football. Priester tallied 80 tackles, 10 sacks and 12 tackles for a loss in his junior season, earning him All Orange County Honors.
Redshirt freshman offensive tackle Gerald Poke, a 6-6, 270-pounder from Boone High in Orlando, has been pressed into service as a starter on the offensive line the second half of the season.
Poke, who was redshirted last season, was a three-sport letter winner in basketball, football and track at William R. Boone High School in Orlando, Fla. His senior season, Poke was team captain, a first team All-FNF selection and earned first team 6A All-State honors. In addition, Poke earned FNF first team all-conference honors and was named third team 6A All-State.
The rest of the “Orlando 9” include Derrick Tarver, a redshirt freshman defensive back from nearby Apopka; and five “true” freshmen who started school this fall: wide receiver Kevin Elliott and linebacker Alvis Graham from Colonial High; offensive lineman Carter Franklin from Dr. Phillips High, tight end Max Purcell from Edgewater High, and linebacker Alphonso Walker III, from nearby Eustis.
Friday, November 9, 2007
FAMU Alum and Film Producer Will Packer Says No Other HBCU Prepares Students Like FAMU during the Homecoming Convocation
*** Please note: The following is a revised press release. Total donation amounts have been included.
With Florida A&M University’s 120th anniversary and homecoming well underway, the university celebrated the Homecoming Convocation at the Jake Gaither Gym.
This year’s homecoming theme, “The Rattler Renaissance; A Rebirth of Rattler Pride and Spirit,” encompasses the renewal of the institution in every aspect. Alvin Bryant, president of the FAMU National Alumni Chapter, greetings embodied the theme.
“Although we’ve been through tumultuous times,” said Bryant. “This is a time of togetherness and rebuilding of strength.”
FAMU’s Marching “100” enthused the crowd with “FAMU Spirit,” “Rattler Orange & Green,” and “S.O.S.” while FAMU’s world-renowned gospel choir serenaded the audience with “More Abundantly” and “I Will Bless the Lord.” Cheerleaders kept the crowd roaring while the 2007-2008 Royal Court was introduced and past Miss FAMUs of the 30s and 40s were recognized. Even former FAMU presidents Fred Gainous and Fredrick Humphries were in attendance.
FAMU President James H. Ammons described the keynote speaker, William Packer, film producer and FAMU graduate, as “an outstanding and gifted Rattler.”
“Never has there been a more important time, and never have we had to be more responsible for being African-American,” Packer said. “We’re about to inherit the world. No one prepares our young people for the world like HBCU’s and no HBCU prepares our young people like Florida A&M University.”
Packer ended his speech by explaining the importance of giving back to the institution he cherishes, and by giving Ammons a check for $10,000. As it turned out, this was the first in a series of eight checks to be presented to President Ammons.
Col. Ronald Joe, interim vice president for university relations, reintroduced Ammons for an announcement regarding a new fundraising effort.
In the midst of the Marching “100” playing the Tom Joyner Morning Show’s theme song and a swarm of orange and green balloons falling the gym ceiling onto a plethora of prestigious guests, Ammons said, “I am proud to announce the official launch of the fundraising campaign for Florida A&M University,” he said. “We have been selected to as the Tom Joyner School of the Month for January 2008, which is the 10th anniversary of the School of the Month effort. Today, we kickoff this campaign with efforts donations made by FAMU alumni and supporters.”
To date, the following has been received for the Tom Joyner School of the Month Campaign.
- Student Government Association: $500
- Executive Office Furniture: $5,000
- Diamondback Pharmacy Council: $30,000
- Florida Region of the National Alumni Association: $62, 908
- Washington D.C. Chapter of the National Alumni Association: $64,500
- National Alumni Association: $158,000
- FAMU Industry Cluster: Alcoa, $65,000; Boeing, $75,000; Duke Energy, $10,000; Eli Lily,
$23,000; and Lockheed Martin, $20,000 (totaling $193, 026.95)
- FAMU Foundation and National Alumni Association fundraising receptions: $168, 980.15
Ammons thanked each of the contributors and encouraged the audience of Rattlers past and present to continue the effort to raise dollars for the campaign. Ammons ended the convocation with the famous FAMU mantra, the Rattler Charge.
RW News: FAMU College of Law Opens its Doors with a Tailgate Party
Before Florida A&M University and Bethune-Cookman University take to the football field this year during the Walt Disney® World Florida Classic in Orlando, the FAMU College of Law will open its doors to the community for a pre-game showcasing of the law school and a family-friendly tailgating event. The first FAMU College of Law Open House and Tailgate Party will kickoff at 9 a.m. on Saturday, November 17, 2007 on the College of Law campus located at 201 Beggs Avenue in downtown Orlando. The event will begin with an open house presented by the law school’s admissions office, where potential law students and current college students with an interest in attending law school will receive an overview of the admission’s process and financial aid information. The open house will also include a law student panel with FAMU law students discussing their experiences and soliciting questions from event attendees. Tours of the law school will be available following the panel.
The tailgate portion of the event will begin promptly at 11 a.m. at the student lounge on the south end of the campus. The tailgate will be catered by Sonny’s Barbeque, and will feature music mixed by Orlando’s Power 95.3 radio personalities on-site for a remote broadcast. Open house and tailgating attendees can enter a drawing to win several prizes including the grand prize of two complimentary tickets to the Florida Classic football game. The FAMU College of Law, the Student Bar Association and the Gwendolyn Cherry Chapter of Phi Alpha Delta law fraternity will sponsor the tailgate party. Alcoholic beverages are prohibited on the law school campus.
There is no cost to attend either event. The law school is conveniently located two-blocks from the Central Boulevard and Church Street parking garages. Both garages are used for Citrus Bowl Stadium Shuttle parking. To pre-register for the open house or get more information about the event, contact the FAMU College of Law’s Admissions Office at (407) 254-3286.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
RW News: FAMU President James H. Ammons will Host the President’s Forum
Faculty forum- 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
Staff forum- 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Management forum- 3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Students forum- 4 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
For more information, call (850) 599-3413.
