FAMU graduation rates tell complex story
By Angeline J. Taylor • DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITERFlorida A&M University‘s recent commencement ceremony brings to light a startling statistic that serves as a challenge for the university’s administrators. The challenge involves the university’s graduation rate.
Florida Board of Governors’ figures show that about 42 percent of FAMU students graduate in four to six years. It’s a figure FAMU administrators are working to change, especially when considering graduation rates of sister institutions — Florida State University or University of Florida. FSU graduates 70.9 percent of its black students due to a specialized program. UF’s figures are close to FSU’s, according to the Florida Board of Governors.
However, FAMU’s graduation rate among black students ranks higher than state institutions such as Gulf Coast University and Florida Atlantic University. Both graduate black students at a rate of 37 percent in four to six years.
“We are not like our sister schools,” FAMU Provost Cynthia Hughes Harris said. “In our estimation, we are the leading producers of African-Americans with baccalaureate degrees.”
Alright, let me jump to this~
On a national average, she said black students graduate at the same rate at HBCUs and predominately white institutions.
“(But) if you take into consideration the fact that African-Americans at HBCUs come in with less preparation for college, HBCUs actually do a better job. They add value.”
Florida State, however, has found a way to add value and help black students graduate at higher percentages than their white peers through the CARE Program. CARE stands for the Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement. It’s considered key to black students’ success, according to Education Sector — a nonpartisan think tank in Washington, D.C. The organization said FSU graduated more black students within a six-year period than any other public university in the country. The special program focuses on promising students, often relaxing the typical admissions standards.
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I think after reading this article, I am left scratching my head on a few things.
1> Florida State University graduates 70.9% of its Black students–FAMU graduates 42.2%–both are universities. Yet when questioned about the disparity, FAMU compares its performance to schools that are doing worse.
2> FAMU Provost Cynthia Hughes Harris was quoted saying the following:”Our students come in and they are ready for the world. But many of them haven’t … been prepared for what that entails. As we expose them to it, they sometimes have to stop, take a breath and get ready for it again and then come back and move forward.” She also said: “(But) if you take into consideration the fact that African-Americans at HBCUs come in with less preparation for college, HBCUs actually do a better job. They add value.”
If HBCUs are accepting students that are less prepared for college, does this mean that our colleges are playing double duty as remedial high school and higher education?
3> If FSU is apparently lowering its standards to keep its many of its Black students through its CARE program, a couple of things:
a) Florida taxpayers are spending more money just to produce average students.
b) Are FSU’s Black students in general just as unprepared for the real world as FAMU?
4> For years folks have been saying that finances is a main contributor to college drop out rates amongst Black students. Yet in this scenerio, Black students manage to graduate at a higher rate from FSU. Either FSU is cheaper than FAMU (which I doubt), or the “too expensive” explanation does not work in this situation.
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