After receiving an overwhelming response from last year’s Annual President’s Tour, Florida A&M University (FAMU) Interim President Larry Robinson will return to several South and Central Florida cities to recruit the best and brightest high school seniors.
The 2014 President’s Tour is scheduled to begin March 8 through March 10 stopping in Ft. Lauderdale, Ft. Myers, Tampa and Miami.
Last year’s President’s Tour ignited a 10 percent increase in admissions applications at FAMU, as nearly $325,000 in scholarships were awarded.
The annual tour is an effort to recruit some of the top-performing students in the state of Florida. Interim President Robinson will meet with students and parents to award scholarships on the spot to students who meet Presidential Scholarship requirements.
“The importance of the President’s Tour is that it allows us to realize our goal to recruit outstanding students wishing to achieve their educational dreams,” Robinson said. “It also allows us to share, with prospective students and their families, FAMU’s wonderful array of academic and cultural programs, and inspire alumni and friends to continue their much needed and appreciated support of this great institution.”
High school seniors and their parents are invited to attend all tour stops.
The FAMU Connection, the university’s recruitment and performing group, will provide entertainment and give students a glimpse into the FAMU experience. FAMU’s administrators, student leaders, representatives from the colleges and schools and alumni will accompany Interim President Robinson.
“The President’s Tour is the perfect example of FAMU’s motto: ‘Excellence With Caring,’” said Allison McNealy, coordinator of Student Affairs. “Our university is renowned for its personal approach, especially when it comes to direct recruiting efforts, and this tour is a testament to that.”
According to McNealy, since its inception, the tour has served as a source of hope and inspiration for high school students, as it helps to usher their dreams of a college education into reality.
“During the tour, our very own Presidential Ambassadors, Royal Court and FAMU Connection give up a portion of their Spring Break to ensure that these future Rattlers know that they have a place at FAMU, a place that will allow them to not just be another face on campus, but instead a part of an enduring legacy,” McNealy said.
The scholarships presented during the tour will include the Life Gets Better Scholarship and the Distinguished Scholar Award.
To qualify for the Life Gets Better Scholarship, a student must be designated as a National Achievement Scholar or Merit Semifinalist majoring in one of the following STEM programs: biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, physics, environmental science or mathematics. Students must have a 1950 SAT score or a 29 on the ACT and a 3.5 GPA. Recipients of this scholarship will also receive a stipend each semester for miscellaneous expenses, internship opportunities and a laptop.
The Distinguished Scholar Award will be offered to students who have achieved an 1800 on the SAT or 27 on the ACT and maintain a 3.5 GPA. Partial scholarships will be offered to incoming freshmen who have at least a 1650 on the SAT or 23 on the ACT and at least a 3.0 GPA.
The tour schedule is as follows:
Tampa
March 8 at 7 p. m.
Hillsborough Community College
Dale Mabry Campus Auditorium
4001 W. Tampa Bay Blvd
Tampa, FL 33614
Ft. Myers
March 9 at 3 p.m.
Dunbar Community School Auditorium
1857 High Street
Fort Myers, FL 3391
Ft. Lauderdale
March 10 at 10 a.m.
Dillard High School
2501 N.W. 11th Street
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33311
Miami
March 10 at 6:30 p.m.
The Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater Cultural Arts Complex
819 NW 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL 33136
For more information about the tour, contact the FAMU Division of Student Affairs at(850) 599-3183
Photo: Interim President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., met Michelle Wilson and her mother during last year’s recruitment stop in Miami. Today, Wilson studies cellular and molecular biology at FAMU.
