TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida A&M University jumped three spots to become the seventh-best institution among the country's historically black colleges and universities, according to U.S. News & World Report's newly released 2017 national university rankings.
FAMU moved from No. 10 on the 2016 list to the seventh spot, while Spelman College in Atlanta maintained its top ranking among historically black institutions.
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FAMU was the top public historically black school on the list. FAMU officials on Tuesday attributed the higher ranking to continuing improvements in student graduation and retention rates, a focus for university President Elmira Mangum.
Other factors in the survey included peer assessments, faculty resources, student selectivity and financial resources.
Mangum cited the 4.1 peer-assessment score, out of a possible 5, as "a testament to FAMU's strong reputation" among the historically black institutions.
"Moving from No. 10 to No. 7 is validation that FAMU is, in fact, moving forward,” Mangum said in a statement. "This ranking is the highest we've achieved on the U.S. News Best HBCU (historically black colleges and universities) list in recent history, and I believe it speaks volumes that the work we are doing is being recognized."
FAMU's national recognition comes as the school's Board of Trustees is poised to renew a debate this week on ending Mangum's presidency.
The trustees previously refused to extend Mangum's contract, which ends in April, and are now negotiating with the president on a plan to have her step down.
