Florida Senate - 2014 (NP) SR 1690 By Senators Joyner, Bullard, and Montford 19-02779C-14 20141690__ 1 Senate Resolution 2 A resolution recognizing March 26, 2014, as “FAMU Day” 3 in Florida. 4 5 WHEREAS, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University 6 (FAMU) was founded in 1887, named a land-grant institution in 7 1891, and designated a university in 1953, and 8 WHEREAS, FAMU, a historically black university offering 9 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs, seeks qualified 10 students from all racial, ethnic, religious, and national groups 11 and has provided immeasurable educational opportunities for 12 young men and women, and 13 WHEREAS, academic components of the university consist of 14 seven colleges, seven schools, and one institute: the colleges 15 of Law; Agriculture and Food Sciences; Science and Technology; 16 Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities; Education; Engineering; 17 and Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; the schools of Allied 18 Health Science; Architecture; Business and Industry; the 19 Environment; Graduate Studies and Research; Journalism and 20 Graphic Communication; and Nursing; and the Institute of Public 21 Health, and 22 WHEREAS, FAMU is a leading producer of African-American 23 students earning baccalaureate degrees; a leading producer of 24 Cuban-American pharmacists; and the top producer of African 25 American pharmacists in the nation, and 26 WHEREAS, FAMU is the nation’s third leading producer of 27 African-American Ph.D. graduates in science and engineering, as 28 noted by the National Science Foundation, and 29 WHEREAS, nearly a third of FAMU’s student body is pursuing 30 degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 31 (STEM) or health-related disciplines, and 32 WHEREAS, FAMU was recently recognized by College Database 33 as one of this state’s most affordable public universities, 34 producing graduates with the second-highest starting salaries, 35 and 36 WHEREAS, FAMU remains accessible, with 55 percent of its 37 students being first-generation college students and 68 percent 38 being Pell Grant recipients, the most of any Florida public 39 university, and 40 WHEREAS, FAMU’s men’s and women’s cross-country teams won 41 back-to-back Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championships in 42 2012 and 2013, NOW, THEREFORE, 43 44 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida: 45 46 That March 26, 2014, is recognized as “FAMU Day” in 47 Florida. 48 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be 49 presented to Interim President Larry Robinson as a tangible 50 token of the sentiments expressed in this resolution.