The announcement by Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University’s (FAMU) Board of Trustees to remove and consolidate degree programs in mid-February left many feeling surprised and blindsided by the lack of transparency from the school’s leadership. The impacted programs include environmental studies, environmental science, philosophy & religion, electronic engineering technology, history, studio/ fine arts, and African American studies.
As reported by the Tallahassee Democratno public information session was held during the deliberations leading up to the decision announced at the board meeting on February 12th. The Fine Arts program will specifically have new integrations to support graphic design, AI, and UX design, reflecting how the career pathway is shifting, according to the school’s statement.
In response to the changes, FAMU’s Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) took to social media to notify fellow classmates of the changes after attending the school’s board meeting. “What FAMU did on Thursday in consolidating its black studies program was not, in fact, aligned with its mission. It’s not an isolated instance either; in Texas, UT Austin also consolidated its race, ethnic, and gender studies programs. Under the Trump Administration, Black history is actively under siege: Plaques mentioning the horrors of slavery are being removed, museums are editing exhibits to whitewash racism, and at FAMU, we are consolidating our African Americans studies program,” reads an excerpt from the statement.
The organization has since continued posting about the issue and has hosted rallies to bring the student body together in solidarity against the changes.
In an interview with EBONY, the organization’s vice-president, Jayla Jones, shared more about the unprecedented outpouring of support from alumni. “We didn’t really know what you expect with posting on social media, but we thought let’s get this information out’ because we didn’t hear anyone talking about it. We initially did a slideshow format and then a reel, which got a lot of engagement. Our Instagram has also jumped 400+ followers and is starting to see the movement grow. […] We really just want to inform everyone,” Jones said.
She went on to say that the school hasn’t had any pushback on their outspoken efforts. The outpour of support from alumni has also been appreciated by the student organization.
To support spreading awareness of the issue, FAMU alumni Noella Williams and Ariyon Dailey also took to social media to provide insight into the issue and why the consolidation of the programs amplifies academic censorship and the belief that the decision is not conducive to the school’s perpetuity.
“It feels scary because if an HBCU can do this, PWIs and other colleges can get away with this,” Williams told EBONY.
As one of the founding members of FAMU’s SDS during her time in undergrad, she believes that students should be organizing on their campus to make their voices heard. “It’s concerning to me because if you can’t study African American studies at an HBCU, then where can you learn it?” Dailey said when speaking more about the deeper impact that this shift can have on HBCUs being seen as a safe space for Black culture.
Since the appointment of President Marva Johnson last year, many have called into question how her political views may funnel into her decision making for the school considering her ties to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis who has a history of implementing restrictions to programs that support diversity and race-related education, such as his recent legislative sign-off to ban public colleges and universities from receiving funding for DEI initiatives and race-related education (SB 266).
Alongside policy change, FAMU is also part of the State University System of Florida, where they are under the Board of Governors’ Performance Funding Model. The guidelines within the model are what the school must perform against to ensure continued state funding. The programs being consolidated did not meet the three-year graduation-rate threshold, which led the school to make this decision.
While the Board of Trustees declined an interview to dive deeper into the program changes, they provided a redirection to their statement that they released online. “African American (Black) Studies remains foundational to the history, identity, and mission of Florida A&M University. The University has no plans to eliminate or diminish scholarship in this area. Any programmatic adjustment reflects structural alignment only and does not change our enduring commitment to this field of study,” reads an excerpt from the school’s statement on the new academic direction they’re going in.
The comments under the post directly call out the lack of transparency that the school is being accused of. As well as, how alumni have seen the impact of the programs in their lives, and the distinct difference in fine arts to the reimagined integrations with digitalization and artificial intelligence.
The extended web version of the statement addresses the impact on faculty within the aforementioned degree programs. “Program consolidations and realignments are administrative actions and do not automatically result in changes to faculty employment status. Faculty assignments will continue to be governed by existing University policies, collective bargaining agreements (where applicable), and standard academic review processes.
These actions are designed to align academic structures, not to diminish faculty expertise, scholarship, or instructional contributions,” the statement said.
Despite the explanations given through released information, neither version of the statements directly addresses the consolidation of the other degree programs included in the consolidation, such as electrical engineering technology and philosophy and religion, as highlighted in the Board of Trustees’ meeting minutes (page 15) from the February 12th meeting, where the changes were announced.
At this time, the Board of Trustees have not released specifications on what the new reimagined degree programs will look like in depth. Those who are currently enrolled in the impacted programs will be able to graduate under their specified major as previously chosen as the new programs are set to take place beginning in the next semester.
As DEI programs continue to be affected, the HBCU experience and educational practices should be factored into conversations as an area of potential impact as introductions of structural changes in one area can spread to others over time. Alumni and student advocacy are some of the first few steps that can be taken towards protection. However, it will also take continued awareness and extensive advocacy to protect and preserve the future of Black history being taught without censorship.
