HBCU

A recent donation to Florida A&M University would have been the largest-ever private gift to a historically Black college or university: $237 million. Now its credibility has led to an external investigation.

The university says it’s placed the processing of a $237 million financial donation on hold as it seeks to get more details about how it’s funded, and whether the school can do anything with it.

Gov. Ron DeSantis says almost $570 million in the budget this year will go toward school safety measures in public and private K-12 schools.

The donation doubles the size of FAMU's current endowment value.

The news follows campus-wide protests in 2023 over what students claimed were subpar housing and athletic facilities.

A federal judge has rejected a potential class-action lawsuit that alleged the state has discriminated against historically Black FAMU in issues such as funding and programs.

The government is supposed to provide equal funding to land-grant, state-run historically Black colleges and universities -including Florida A&M University - under the Morrill Act of 1890.

They are a gathering point for fellowship, as well as a means to spotlight and celebrate the rich history tied to historically Black colleges across the United States. The game between Florida A&M and Jackson State earlier this month was proof of that.

Director Ryan Watson, who currently teaches at USF, says most of the all Black cast of actors are from the Tampa Bay area. But they had to outsource the martial artists from across the country.

Florida A&M University (FAMU) has been selected to help launch the HBCU Transformation Project. It's designed to drive long-term progress across HBCUs and impact the Black economy.