RW News: FAMU’s College of Education will host its Annual Pinning Ceremony

The College of Education at Florida A&M University will host its Annual Apple Pinning Ceremony Friday, December 14, at 10 a.m. at Bethel A.M.E. Church located at 501 West Orange Avenue, Tallahassee. The Apple Pinning Ceremony is an induction ceremony similar to those held for other professions, such as nursing, pharmacy, and medicine.

This year’s Apple Pinning Ceremony theme is Professional Educators: Inspire, Empower and Emancipate. The ceremony will include a dynamic keynote speaker, stimulating performances by students, and awards to selected outstanding graduating students from each department in the College of Education.

Students with BEd, BS, MEd, MS and/or Ph.D. degrees in elementary education, secondary education, business and technology education, physical and recreation education, educational leadership and human services will receive their Apple Pins during the ceremony.

The College of Education’s Apple Pinning Ceremony was initiated in 2000 through the visionary efforts of FAMU’s Kappa Delta Pi Chapter with Bernadette Kelley serving as advisor and Ada Puryear Burnette serving as co-advisor. Viewing the “apple” as a long used symbol of education and of educators, Burnette keyed in that symbolism when she developed the traditional ceremony and came up with the ceremony’s name.

RW News: FAMU Launches its 2008 Alumni Association Membership Campaign

Florida A&M University President James H. Ammons, Alvin Bryant, president of FAMU’s National Alumni Association, and Lisa Lang, chairperson of FAMU’s National Alumni Association Membership Committee, announce the launch of the FAMU Alumni Association 2008 membership campaign.

“Our goal is to double our national membership,” said Bryant.

Alumni, who are not a current member of the alumni association, will receive a bonus for joining. As an incentive, individuals will receive membership in the local chapter for the remainder of 2007, in addition to being a member locally, regionally and nationally for 2008.

Individuals not sure about the amount or are not aware of his or her local chapter president or membership chair is, can contact the FAMU Office of Alumni Affairs at
1-888-664-6544 or (850) 599-3707.

Recognition will be given to the chapter that brings in the highest number of memberships (new, life and regular) for 2008.

Applications can be obtained at the following web address http://www.famu.edu/alumni/UserFiles/File/NAA_App1_26Nov2007.doc.

For more information, contact Lisa Lang at (850) 561-2421 or via email at lisa.lang@famu.edu.

RW news: Board of Trustees Schedules Meeting

The Florida A&M University Board of Trustees will meet Tuesday, December 4, at 9 a.m. in the Grand Ballroom on FAMU’s campus. For more information, call (850) 599-3413.

FAMU Student Health Services will Observe World AIDS Day

Florida A&M University Student Health Services and FAMU’s Student Government Association’s Office of the Surgeon General have collaborated with local, state, and community based organizations to observe the 20th Annual World AIDS Day. Events have been scheduled beginning on Thursday, November 29, through Wednesday, December 5.

“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.

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.

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.

RW News: FAMU’s Social Work with Children’s Class Sponsors Around the World Event

Florida A&M University Social Work with Children’s class will sponsor an Around the World Event on Saturday, December 1, beginning at 12 noon at the Walker-Ford Gymnasium. Doors will close at 12:30 p.m. Children from ages four to 17 will have the opportunity to learn about eight different cultures, customs and enjoy cuisines from the various cultures. Each child will be given a kids fact on each culture and provided with a pretend passport that will allow them to visit each culture.

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

Florida A&M University President James H. Ammons said today he would begin the hiring process for a new Athletic Director and Head 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

Rafaat Khalil, assistant professor, basic pharmaceutical sciences at Florida A&M University’s College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (COPPS), recently received his certification as a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology, Inc. (ABT).

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

Florida A&M University College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Social Work announced that the Council on Social Work Education Commission on Accreditation granted a full eight-year accreditation to the bachelor of social work (BSW) and master of social work (MSW) programs for the full eight year cycle from 2006 to 2014.

“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.

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”

Florida A&M University students met on the quadrangle to instill pride in the campus community—one strand of grass at a time.

“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.”

FAMU Pharmacy Alumnus elected President of the Association of Black Health-System Pharmacists

Retired Lieutenant Colonel Jasper W. Watkins III, a 1982 graduate from Florida A&M University's College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (COPPS) with a bachelor of science degree in pharmacy was recently elected president of the Association of Black Health-System Pharmacists (ABHP). Watkins, a native of Jacksonville, Florida, also received a masters of science in health services administration from Central Michigan University.

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.”

RW Soul: “Orlando 9” is the beginning of a new wave of recruiting for FAMU Football

The 2007 Florida A&M University football team will bring nine Orlando area natives back home when they face off against archrival Bethune-Cookman in the Walt Disney World Florida Classic XXVIII, presented by State Farm on Saturday, November 17, at 3:30 p.m. in the Florida Citrus Bowl.

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.