FAMU HILLS ARE ALIVE WITH A TASTE OF HOLLYWOOD

Florida A&M University’s senior broadcast students are bringing a touch of Hollywood to that highest ‘Hill’ as they gear up to unveil their short documentaries.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., the FAMU School of Journalism and Graphic Communication (SJGC) will premier four, 15-minute student documentaries that take a critical and not-so-glamorous look into topics ranging from women in the prison system, to the plight of failing schools, to the rising number of single black women, and an inside look at one of the candidates in this year’s historic national election campaigns.

The Student Documentary Night will be held in the SJGC Lecture Hall. A reception is scheduled immediately following the program in the SJGC Gallery.

Professor Kenneth Jones, an associate professor in the Division of Journalism and Coordinator of the broadcast sequence, teaches specialized reporting in television where some 20 students, working in teams of two, vied for the opportunity to showcase their work.

“I choose the student documentaries based off of story content, uniqueness of the story, the high level of production quality and in terms of the ability of the student producers to do such dynamic stories,” said Jones.

The broadcast degree sequence at FAMU continues to enjoy tremendous popularity and impressive growth. There are more than 115 students in the program today and many of them are award-winning journalists. Three of the filmmakers, Driadonna Roland, John Marsh, and Gabrielle Brinson, are Associated Press College Contest Winners.

In addition to these four documentaries, there will also be a special showing of a short movie that was written, directed and produced by Jones called “Effects on Families.” Developed as a promotion piece to accompany a university-wide seat belt safety campaign, the film seeks to increase awareness of safe driving. Even though Jones produced the movie, several students participated in the production of the film as editors, writers and assistant directors.

Student associates in the PRodigy Public Relations Firm, a student-run, campus-based company housed in the SJGC), designed, planned and implemented the marketing and publicity for the spring 2008 Student Documentary Night and reception.

FAMU Department of Music Presents An Evening of Jazz

Florida A&M University’s (FAMU) Department of Music presents An Evening of Jazz featuring the Jazz Ensemble I, under the direction of Lindsey B. Sarjeant, Monday, April 14, at 7:30 p.m. in Lee Hall Auditorium.

Admission is free and the general public is invited to attend. For more information, call (850) 599-3024.

State Recognizes FAMU Law Students for Supporting Foster Care Project

Jim Kallinger, Florida’s Chief Child Advocate, visited Florida A&M University’s College of Law to recognize law students who are helping his office implement reforms in the state’s foster care system.

Kallinger, who heads the Office of Adoption and Child Protection within the Executive Office of the Governor, acknowledged the law students’ work to complete a list of more than 20 high-priority tasks aimed at increasing the efficiency, accountability and effectiveness of Florida’s foster care program. The FAMU College of Law is the only law school in the state assisting the state task force with the effort to improve child protection legislation and regulation.

“Students at the FAMU law school have been important partners in our effort to give every child in Florida the opportunity to live in a loving, safe and permanent home,” said Kallinger, a former state representative for the Winter Park area. “Their projects will continue to improve our strategies for increasing adoptions in Florida.”

Law school Dean LeRoy Pernell and Clinic Director and Assistant Law Professor Ann Marie Cavazos thanked Kallinger for extending to FAMU College of Law students the opportunity to gain practical experience while serving the community.

“Working with children is an area with which I’ve had an ongoing special interest,” Pernell said. “We want to make the law school and its resources available to help with more of these types of endeavors.”

Gov. Charlie Crist made adoption and child abuse prevention one of his top priorities when he was elected in 2006. The Office of Adoption and Child Protection was created in 2007 to establish a comprehensive statewide approach to the promotion of adoption, support of adoptive families, and the prevention of child abuse, abandonment and neglect. The office is charged with working alongside child welfare agencies, community-based organizations and other agencies to achieve the Governor’s goals.

In support of the office’s initiatives, third-year law student Jeremy Hill has proposed that a disclaimer be added to monthly checks issued by the Department of Children and Families to adoptive families, warning that recipients are committing welfare fraud if they cash the checks and are no longer taking care of that child. Hill, who spearheaded the College of Law’s participation in the task force, also is compiling a report on a new law that regulates responsibilities and obligations of states when a foster care child is placed across state lines.

Kelly Puckett, a third-year law student, is working to propose a bill that would provide a tax break to employers with adoption-friendly environments. Laura Klossner, a third-year student, is seeking to render tax-exempt the one-time $10,000 gift from the state of Florida to state employees. Currently, the gift is taxable as income.

FAMU’s School of Business and Industry Places Record Number of Students on Wall Street

More than 40 students from the Florida A&M University (FAMU) School of Business and Industry (SBI) are bound for Wall Street internships.

“This is a record number of Wall Street interns for the university,” said Karl Lawrence, Ph.D., a finance professor, who is coordinating the project. “This is an especially impressive achievement given current recessionary market conditions. Our previous record was 30, which occurred during the summer of 2004.”

Lawrence said that catalyst for the up-tick in Wall Street opportunities is attributed to SBI’s, recently implemented, the Wall Street initiative. He met with SBI Dean, Lydia McKinley-Floyd, in fall 2007 and presented her with a Wall Street Initiative, which has a goal of placing 100 students in internships with Wall Street firms during the summer of 2010.

“We are ecstatic about our initial accomplishment and look forward to establishing ourselves as the pre-eminent institution for Wall Street opportunities and other challenging careers,” he said. “Having a permanent President and Dean, who make it a priority to invest resources in cultivating opportunities for our talented students, is a tremendous help.”

Dean McKinley-Floyd, now in her second year on the job, attributes much of the current success to the school’s talented students, an enthusiastic alumni base, and faculty members who are dedicated to preparing students for the marketplace.

“We've been able to significantly improve our Wall Street placements in one of the toughest financial markets,” said McKinley-Floyd. “Firms understand that diversity, as a portfolio risk management principle, equally applies to the workforce.”

According to Lawrence, students who are able to secure permanent placement positions with Wall Street firms can expect to make $90,000 to $100,000 during their first year.

“The 10-week Wall Street internships at firms such as JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers and Barclays are quite challenging,” said Lawrence. “Student interns are expected to contribute and work long hours like other employees. Their experiences are important because it is intended to lead to permanent placement offers. Moreover, it gives both the firm and the students an opportunity to determine whether a fit exist. An equally important feature of these internship experiences for the school is that students often return to campus invigorated to learn and their enthusiasm is quite contagious.”

FAMU Places Third in Executive Leadership Council’s 2008 Business Case Competition Sponsored by Shell Oil Company

Florida A&M University placed third as The Executive Leadership Council (ELC) announced the winners of its 2008 ELC Business Case Competition—“The Jiffy Lube Offering.” Sponsored by Shell Oil Company, the events and the finals took place at Shell Headquarters in Houston, TX. This year’s competition challenged students to develop innovative solutions to help Shell Oil satisfy the needs of Jiffy Lube franchises.

“The SBI [School of Business and Industry] community takes great pride in the significant accomplishment of this highly motivated MBA student team,” said Colin Benjamin, advisor to the team of students, Eminent Scholar and professor of engineering management. “Despite their already busy schedules, the students all invested considerable time and effort in developing a comprehensive written analysis of the case provided by Shell, progressing to the finals, and in preparing for the Oral presentation.”

The FAMU team members were Logii Dekhara Pinion and Deliena Stone. Pinion, who was the team captain, is a 23-year-old MBA student majoring in business administration. Originally from Marietta, Ga., she is finishing a five-year BBA-MBA program. Stone is a 24-year-old MBA student majoring in business administration. Originally from Miami, Fla., she is finishing a five-year BBA-MBA program. The team will receive a $5,000 cash award.

“Going into the competition, we were the youngest and smallest team, which was intimidating,” said Pinion. “But everyone helped to make us feel comfortable. It was a great opportunity, and I’m glad I got to experience it.”

Pinion’s teammate said that although they placed third they still consider themselves the big winners.

“Considering that we only had two people on our team, I think we did a great job successfully meeting the criteria,” Stone said. “Third is just that, a placing. It doesn’t mean that we weren’t winners. The fact that the Shell executives were impressed by our written submission made us winners already.”

Individual African-American students or teams of up to five, the majority of whom must be African-American, from 35 selected schools nationwide were invited to compete. Finalists were invited to make presentations before John Hofmeister, president of Shell Oil Company, Carl Brooks, president & CEO of The Executive Leadership Council, a panel of distinguished judges and a corporate audience.

National Alumni Association Declares FAMU Church Day

Florida A&M University National Alumni Association (NAA) has declared Sunday, April 13, 2008 as FAMU Church Day across United States.

According to Altamease Cole and Jean Downing, co-chairs of FAMU NAA Church Day, FAMU NAA Church Day Campaign is distinctive in that it exposes the University’s many contributions to parishioners throughout the nation and offers them a way to participate in advancing the cause of FAMU.

“On that Sunday, we are requesting churches, alumni and supporters from across the country to raise love offerings for FAMU,” said Alvin Bryant, M.D., FAMU-NAA president. “FAMU NAA Church Day funds will be used to provide student scholarships and general student support.”

For additional information on how to participate or host a “FAMU Church Day,” contact Bryant at albryamd@aol.com.

FAMU is First Stop on CNN’s Black in America HBCU Tour

Florida A&M University is the first stop on CNN’s first ever “Black in America Historically Black College or University (HBCU) Tour.” The tour comes to FAMU’s campus on April 8, 2008, at 11 a.m. and will be located on the lawn between the School of Journalism and Graphic Communication (SJGC) and the School of Business and Industry (SBI).

As part of the tour, there will be a DJ; a graffiti wall, where students can write what being Black in America means; the Picture U Station, where students can pose for photos and print-outs that will resemble the cover of an Essence Magazine; and a CNN text message poll, where the DJ will ask questions and have students respond via text messages. The answers to the questions will be displayed on a plasma screen or LED scrolling sign.

As part of the tour CNN Black America, in association with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), is hosting a Campus iReporter Contest among students at each college or university. One iReporter from each campus will win a digital video camera and have the chance to win a trip for two to the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans.

For more information on submission criteria and deadlines, visit http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2008/black.in.america/ireportercontest/.

The tour serves as a means to introduce the upcoming CNN documentary, “Black In America.” The documentary will explore the provocative, surprising and often under-reported stories of the African-American experience, an experience, in which Soledad O'Brien will report.

The first installment of the series will feature O'Brien investigating how James Earl Ray, an armed robber and escaped convict, had already spent an uncommon year on the run just a month before his path collided with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, Tenn. It will air Thursday, April 3, at 9 p.m.

Office of Public Affairs e-newsletter!

This link will take you to the Office of Public Affairs e-newsletter, a bi-monthly electronic newsletter. Each issue will feature up-to-date information about campus highlights, special events, student and faculty achievements, alumni news and other pertinent information.

To view the e-newsletter, click on the link below or copy and paste the link into your Internet browser.

http://www.famu.edu/news/userfiles/FAMUApril12008.html

FAMU President James H. Ammons will Host the President’s Forum

FAMU Alumnus Bernard Kinsey Encourages FAMU Students to Reach for their Dreams

A cold morning gave away to warm skies on March 26, 2008 as staff at Florida A&M University prepared for the annual Honors Day Convocation which pays tribute to FAMU’s 2007-2008 honor students. The featured keynote speaker was FAMU alumnus Bernard Kinsey.

Kinsey is also president of KBK Enterprises, a management-consulting firm. He is a recognized expert and leader in the field of urban revitalization and economic development and has counseled the governments of South Africa, Germany, England, Israel and France.

The program opened with a procession of FAMU’s brightest led by faculty from each of FAMU’s colleges, schools and institutes. The Lee Hall Auditorium was full of students, staff and faculty who sat in anticipation as Mellori Lumpkin, president of FAMU’s the 36th Student Senate, extended greetings and gave the occasion.

Herron Gaston, a senior political science honors student, had the honor of introducing the event’s speaker. Following the introduction, the FAMU band wowed the audience with a moving rendition of Imbizo.

Suddenly the crowd’s demeanor shifted from an attentive silence to joyous cheers as Kinsey stood from his seat and moved towards the podium with a bright smile and a warm wave to the crowd.

“Gazelles wake up everyday and know that they have to be able to outrun the quickest lion,” Kinsey explained. “Lions waking up knowing that that have to be able to catch up to the slowest gazelle. What’s the point of this? The point is, that it doesn’t matter if you’re the lion or gazelle, you better wake up running.”

Kinsey stressed to the students being honored for their achievement to continue to be active citizens and reach for their dreams.

A former member of FAMU’s Marching 100, Kinsey spoke of how proud he was to watch the Marching 100 perform with Kanye West and Jamie Foxx at the Grammy and with Prince for the Super Bowl XLI halftime show. Kinsey said that while he has maintained a growing love for music, the opportunity to give back is something he loves even more.

“To whom much is given, much is required,” he said. “Being able to see students come to this prestigious university and graduate to go on and become lawyers and doctors, and know that they did that with your help, will just fill you up.”

Kinsey stressed to the audience the importance of understanding that no one gets a head start with life, and explained that “you either do it right or not.” He explained that the dash on the tombstone separating the date of birth and death is the most significant. Kinsey said the dash represents all your accomplishments and fulfilled dreams and that it is up to the individual to chase their dreams.

In closing, Kinsey informed the audience that “there are three types of people in the world; those that make things happen, those that watch things happen and those that simply aren’t aware of anything and thus don’t act at all. Let’s try our best to not be the two latter.”

After Kinsey’s words of encouragement, deans from FAMU’s colleges and schools recognized each student with a 4.0 GPA and presented two students from each college and school with an outstanding student award.

Azryana Campbell, a freshmen bio-medical engineering student, said she found the convocation to be enlightening.

“I was very impressed with the speaker’s message and the band’s performance was outstanding,” she smiled. “Being an honor student and attending Honors Convocation is something I plan on doing as long as I’m at FAMU.”

Florida’s Attorney General Bill McCollum Commends FAMU

Florida’s Attorney General Bill McCollum is encouraging universities throughout Florida to have a student alert systems after recognizing how effective Florida A&M University’s (FAMU) e2Campus alert system was in notifying FAMU’s campus of shots being fired during an incident last Friday.

Attorney General Bill McCollum today met with Florida A&M University Chief of Police Calvin Ross to commend the chief for the university’s successful implementation of the student alert system. The system was used last week to alert students about a shooting incident on campus. The initial alerts and follow-up messages were executed without any complications and protected students from any additional danger. Following his meeting with the Chief of Police, the Attorney General issued the following statement:

“I commend FAMU President Ammons and Chief Ross for the successful implantation of the student alert system. As we saw just last week, the system was quickly and efficiently activated and countless students were warned of the potential threat to their safety.”

“FAMU’s commitment to the safety of its students is exemplary, and the campus police deserve recognition for gaining control of the situation before anyone was injured. I encourage all our universities, both state and private, to implement and promote these student alert systems so that each and every student on our campuses can benefit from a system like FAMU’s.”

Photo caption: Florida A&M University’s Assistant Chief of Police John Earst, Assistant Chief of Police James Lockley, Chief of Police Calvin Ross were commended by Attorney General Bill McCollum for FAMU’s successful implantation of its student alert system.

FAMU National Alumni Association Hosts Distinguished Alumni Awards

The Florida A&M University (FAMU) National Alumni Association will hold its annual Distinguished Alumni Awards Saturday, April 26, from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The black tie gala will be held at FAMU’s Grand Ballroom.

The recipients of the 2008 NAA Distinguished Alumni Awards are as follows:

Athletics: Curtis W. Miranda
Community Service: James E. Fayson, Sr.
Education: Leila A. Walker
Government: Ambassador Davidson L. Hepburn
Health: Michael W. Early, Sr.
Law: Theodore N. Taylor, Esq.
Military: Retired Lt. Col. Samuel Washington, Jr.
Religion: Apostle Zinerva White, Jr.


Tickets are $100 per single seat and table purchases are $1000 and up for a table of eight.

To purchase tickets or tables, contact the Office of Alumni Affairs at (850) 599-3861 or (850) 599-3707.

FAMU Journalism Division Recommended for Re-accreditation

The School of Journalism and Graphic Communication (SJGC) at Florida A&M University (FAMU) celebrates another recommendation for re-accreditation. The Accrediting Council on Journalism and Mass Communications (ACJMC) has unanimously voted (11-0) to “strongly recommend” reaccreditation for the Division of Journalism. The division was the first journalism program at a historically black university to be accredited by the ACJMC.

“We strongly recommend re-accreditation,” wrote Trevor Brown, professor emeritus at Indiana University, and Jackie Jones, a longtime journalist and director for Jones Coaching. Brown and Jones conducted the site team visit for the Accrediting Council on Journalism and Mass Communication in February 2008. The division was placed on provisional status after a 2006 site visit due to governance and communication issues, including the lack of a permanent director.

The site team report stated “(it is) clear from comments and observation that Dorothy Bland has transformed the living and working environment for faculty, students and staff.” Bland, an award-winning journalist, media executive and former newspaper publisher, joined FAMU in January 2007 as the director of the Division of Journalism.

James Hawkins, dean of the SJGC, said he is delighted with the ACEJMC committee’s vote of confidence.

“We applaud and commend the work of Professor Bland, and the journalism faculty following the provisional recommendation two years ago,” Hawkins said. “Professor Bland’s appointment is a significant ingredient in the division’s success. The report of the site team and the committee’s recommendation will weigh heavily in the council’s decision.”

The ACEJMC, which represents journalism and mass communication educators and professional practitioners, will meet May 2-3 in Arlington, Va., to review the committee’s recommendation and will take a final vote during that meeting. ACEJMC has accredited about 110 journalism and mass communications programs in the United States.

Symphonic Wind Ensemble and Director of Bands Julian White Honored by the American Bandmasters Association

Florida A&M University (FAMU) distinguished professor of music, chairman of the Department of Music and director of bands Julian E. White, Ph.D., and the FAMU Symphonic Wind Ensemble were honored at the 2008 American Bandmasters Association (ABA) Convention.

White was awarded the honor for being one of three African Americans in the American Bandmasters Association, and the only African American from a historically black college or university (HBCU). In addition to White making history, FAMU’s Wind Symphonic Ensemble was selected to perform as part of the welcome concert at the University of Miami’s Maurice Gusman Concert Hall, which featured seven nationally renowned composers and conductors.

“Being a part of this prestigious concert was an honor,” said White. “This adds to the rich history and tradition of artistic excellence in the Florida A&M University band program.”

FAMU Alum Who Developed Xbox 360 Video Game Will Speak at FAMU

As a part of the Florida A&M University (FAMU) Computer Information System (CIS) Department Distinguished CIS Alumni lecture series, FAMU alum and video game designer Benjamin Johnson will guest lecture on Friday, April 11, 2008. The lecture is scheduled from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Humphries Science Research Building, Room 214.

Johnson, a 1998 CIS graduate, led a team of Rockstar designers in the development of the company’s first XBox 360 video game, Rockstar presents Table Tennis.

Prior to graduation, Johnson served as the CIS Club junior vice president, the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Club president and wrote for the CIS Times, a student newspaper. Before graduating, Johnson held internships with 3M, Cargill, Eli Lilly, Northwest Airlines and the University of Minnesota Supercomputer Center/Clark Atlanta University.

Johnson earned his master’s in computer science from Michigan State University in 2000.