Overview
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) is a public, historically black university, founded in 1887. It is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, as well as one of the state's land grant universities, and is accredited to award baccalaureate, master's and doctoral degrees by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. FAMU was recognized among the 2014 U.S. News & World Report’s “Best National Universities.” The U.S. News & World Report lists FAMU as the top public historically black college or university in the nation for 2015. It is also listed among The Princeton Review’s “Best in the Southeast” colleges and is one of the top picks for providing a high-quality education at an affordable price in Florida, according to The College Database (2013). In 2016 FAMU was listed by Forbes Magazine in the “Best Research Universities” list. For 2017, the National Science Foundation ranked Florida A&M University 216th nationally and 2nd among HBCU for total research and development expenditures. These accomplishments were primarily the results of continuous support of research grants received by the university.
The university is classified as an R2 Doctoral Research University under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, which denotes higher research activity. The designation places FAMU among the Nation’s larger mainstream universities. FAMU is committed to expanding and increasing its scientific and research community especially by addressing the recruitment and retention of faculty by continuing to provide competitive salaries and attractive start-up packages for new faculty. In 2017-18 the University received contracts and grants awards totaling over $46.2 million from federal, state, and private funding agencies. FAMU faculty submitted $99 M in research proposals to federal, state, and private entities for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018, representing an all-time high and over a 60% increase from the previous year. The FAMU’s 2010-2020 Biomedical/Behavioral Research initiative provides the framework to move the University to the next level in becoming “Internationally recognized as a premier land-grant and research institution committed to exemplary teaching, research, and service.” These strategic initiatives are to retain and develop appropriate and necessary institutional biomedical/behavioral resources (human, physical, financial, and technological). Establish and support the University’s expertise and reputation in selected areas of research relevant to FAMU’s unique mission as a public HBCU and land-grant institution. The University is committed to providing incentives for faculty, and investigators to be aggressively engaged in research toward securing extramural funding. FAMU continues to leverage federal, state, and private financial support to expand its academic and research programs, specifically in biomedical/behavioral sciences.