[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 118 (Tuesday, September 9, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S9026]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       TRIBUTE TO FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY: ``COLLEGE OF THE YEAR''

 Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, as we send our children and 
grandchildren back to school to begin another academic year, we as a 
nation focus on the vital role of education.
  Florida is proud of its role in developing and nurturing colleges and 
universities of excellence that have educated generations of America's 
leaders. One of those institutions, Florida A&M University, has been 
cited as ``College of the Year'' by the editors of Time magazine and 
The Princeton Review.
  The editors cited the school's outstanding enrollment of National 
Achievement Scholars, its position as the only historically African-
American college to offer four Ph.D programs, and dramatic enrollment 
growth.
  This well-deserved national recognition is a tribute to the students, 
alumni, and staff of Florida A&M University. It also reflects the 
outstanding leadership of President Frederick Humphries, who has led 
the institution with vision and dedication since 1985.
  When classes began this academic year, enrollment exceeded 10,000 
students, up from 3,200 in the mid-eighties. Florida A&M University 
enrolled its largest freshman class ever this fall.
  Further, the number of bachelors' degrees awarded since 1991 has more 
than tripled, from 463 in 1991 to 1,524 last year, surpassing Howard 
University as America's leading granter of undergraduate degrees to 
African-American college graduates.
  During this decade, Florida A&M University, along with Harvard, has 
been a leader in attracting National Achievement Scholars. Florida A&M 
University led the Nation in 1992 and 1995; Harvard in 1993 and 1994.
  While all this was occurring--enrollment growth, more degrees awarded 
and more scholars enrolled--overall admission standards increased. In 
the past 10 years, Scholastic Aptitude Test scores of Florida A&M 
University-bound students rose more than 200 points.
  Mr. President, I have been honored to visit Florida A&M University on 
many occasions. I have experienced the special spirit on campus, in the 
classrooms, and among the greater Florida A&M University family of 
alumni, faculty, administrators, and students.
  Our State and Nation are better because of Florida A&M University and 
its commitment to educational excellence. Congratulations, Rattlers.
  Mr. President, I ask that an editorial published in the Tallahassee 
Democrat newspaper on August 26, 1997, be printed in the Record.
  The editorial follows:

            Why FAMU's Top Achievements Rate National Press

       Vestiges of a past when men and women were judged by the 
     color of their skin are still with us. And one of those 
     monuments of intolerance ranks as one of Tallahassee's 
     brighter stars, Florida A&M University.
       In an age where segregation is illegal, the natural 
     question is, Why have two universities: one white, one black?
       But the reason for FAMU's existence is as strong today as 
     it was when black people were driven from pillar to post and 
     denied higher education. Time Magazine and the Princeton 
     Review lauded FAMU as the premier producer of black graduates 
     and for its work in establishing doctorate programs.


                  he recruited students, lined up jobs

       Consider what wonders FAMU has performed with students in 
     need of opportunity. Since 1991, the school tripled the size 
     of its graduating classes. President Frederick Humphries' 
     peripatetic efforts landed those graduates hundreds of jobs 
     with major corporations, thus pumping into our mainstream new 
     generations of black achievers able to earn their own way.
       His development of new doctoral programs opened new avenues 
     of academic success, and his linkages with the federal 
     government brought dollars and prestige to FAMU and to 
     Tallahassee.
       We're still moving toward that day when we'll all be judged 
     by the content of our character, not solely by the color of 
     our skin. But until we get there, institutions such as FAMU 
     are an integral and necessary part of the journey.
       In an age of voluntary segregation--when the rich and well-
     to-do take their tax dollars, culture and opportunities 
     beyond the pale of our cities--hundreds of thousands of 
     blacks and poor whites are left to founder in the race for 
     jobs and college placement.
       For those students, the nurturing influence of institutions 
     such as FAMU cannot be denied.

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