Florida A&M University President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., made a pitch to Duval County students to attend one of the newly minted U.S. News & World Report’s top 100 national public universities.
Robinson was speaking during a stop on his fall Presidential Recruitment Tour at the Florida State College-Jacksonville, (FSCJ) Kent Campus auditorium three days after the announcement that FAMU climbed to No. 91 among top national public universities, No. 3 among all Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and remained the top ranked public HBCU for the fifth consecutive year.
“This has been an exciting time for us on the ‘Highest of Seven Hills’ and the numbers will tell part of the story,” Robinson said. “We are one of America’s top national universities. This year we broke into the top 100.”
Interest in FAMU is at an all-time high, as more high performing students apply, Robinson said. The University received nearly 22,000 applications for fall 2023.
“The incoming freshmen cohort is one of the most academically talented classes ever, boasting a 3.94 incoming GPA, an 1140 total SAT score, and a 24 composite ACT score,” Robinson said. “This is truly impressive.”
About 200 students from 10 different Duval County high schools attended the recruitment event. Participating schools were Atlantic Coast High School, A. Phillip Randolph High School, Andrew Jackson High School, Ed White High School, Frank H. Peterson High School, Jean Ribault High School, Mandarin High School, Sandalwood High School, and William M. Raines High School. Student leaders and representatives from FAMU’s colleges and schools were on hand to discuss academic options on the Tallahassee campus. The FAMU Connection troupe premiered their new look and repertoire for the first time this fall. The passage of Hurricane Idalia forced the cancellation of Broward and Miami-Dade recruitments surrounding the Orange Blossom Classic.
FSCJ Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs John Wall, Ph.D., told the high school students that there was one more way to get to FAMU.
“Not all the people who applied to FAMU get into FAMU. But we have a feeder program through FSCJ and a partnership with FAMU, that if you finish your first two years here, you can finish up over there,” Wall said. “So please, sit back, take it in, think about it, then go home and talk with your family.”
Jacksonville is one of the top recruiting areas for FAMU. Last year, about 700 students from Duval County were enrolled; 116 members of the 2022 freshman class came from the Jacksonville area.
“The time to apply is now,” said Vice President for Student Affairs William E. Hudson Jr., Ph.D. “We have scholarship dollars, but you must apply early. We don’t have unlimited funds. We want you on the ‘Highest of Seven Hills.’ It’s just over two hours away.”
