<p>I understand the Florida legislature approved an engineering college for FAMU in 1950, but the state didn’t fund it until 1982. It took FAMU a long time to get the engineering school operating and I doubt they are going to just hand it totally over to FSU without a fight, or unless they get something in exchange or are forced to. Too, FAMU is probably still sore about losing its law school back in 1965 when the state legislature closed FAMU’s law school and approved a new law school for FSU. FAMU supporters have a long memory.</p>
<p>[History</a> – FAMU College of Law – law.famu.edu](<a href=“http://law.famu.edu/go.cfm/do/Page.View/pid/5/t/History]History”>http://law.famu.edu/go.cfm/do/Page.View/pid/5/t/History)</p>
<p>Sweetheart, whatever. I don’t mean to overreact, but I think FSU is demonized from time to time by some of the FAMU crowd.</p>
<p>For example, some FAMU supporters complain FSU “stole” the FAMU Law School and turned it into the FSU Law School (likely the best law school in Florida, I might add). What they forget is that FSU had a Journalism Program that at the same time was reassigned to FAMU. Now we should note FAMU got a Law School back, but FSU never regained their Journalism program. Who stole what?</p>
<p>Secondly, the joint engineering school suffers from substantial mission conflict - FSU wants to compete nationally with engineering while FAMU is obviously intent on an HBCU mission to the exclusion of all else. I have to point out I personally think a public single race school, HBCU history or not, is flat wrong in 2012. It’s time to move on. If not now, when? Heck, FSU was a staunch Confederate school in 1863 and had students fight Union troops at the Battle of Natural Bridge in 1865…but now FSU has the highest graduation rate for black students in Florida - and two recent FSU Rhodes Scholars were black. Meanwhile, FAMU has not moved an inch towards greater inclusion. Their freshman class was something like 97% black and they are retrenching towards a “separate, but equal” attitude towards everyone else, which this “you tried to steal X from us” exemplifies.</p>
<p>Sorry, I didn’t mean to cause offense. That was just my understanding of the situation. I didn’t realize that about the school of Journalism. That’s interesting. I can understand how you feel that merging the two schools would fill in some gaps for both schools.</p>
<p>I agree that, ideally, HBCUs should move away from being HBCUs and try to become more diverse. Practically speaking, though, this isn’t going to happen any time soon and any attempt to force the issue on FAMU, or any HBCU, will probably backfire. Maybe this is wrong, but I can sympathize with black folks who find value in being in an environment with other people of the same race where they are the majority and no one feels pidgeon-holed by stereotypes.</p>
<p>I have zero problem with birds of a feather wanting to stick together, as it were. Consider Notre Dame and other private universities. It’s the public financing that is the issue here.</p>
<p>;)</p>