Florida A&M University fell 55% below last year’s approval goal for students seeking licenses in programs like pharmacy, nursing, physical therapy, and law degrees.
FAMU’s College of Law students shared the brunt of that, with only 41% of students passing the Florida Bar exam on the first try.
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“This is a disservice to those students and to the taxpayers who are paying for this," Florida Board of Governors Vice Chair Alan Levine said Thursday during the board’s Strategic Planning Committee in Orlando.
The law school promised to get its scores up last year, but the latest data shows the school continues to underperform. That was one complaint made by Ken Jones, a member of the state’s Board of Governors.
“You either have a teaching problem, the education that students are getting is not relevant to the test that's being taken and given, or students aren't being prepared for the academic requirements," said Jones.
Florida A&M President Larry Robinson attended Thursday's meeting, alongside other state university presidents.
Robinson attributed FAMU’s low test scores to poor management of at-risk students. He says the university just recently started making in-person study sessions a requirement for students who are failing a class or who are on the verge of flunking out of college.
“What we see is an increase in all of them, but we’re still not at the level that would change this from red to yellow or green," Robinson stated.
College of Nursing's faculty and students joined the Men’s Empowerment and Health Fair at Pahokee Elementary on June 8, offering free health screenings and essential health information to the residents via the CARE Mobile Health Unit. #CommunityHealth pic.twitter.com/Ijx96hZDg9
— FAU College of Nursing (@faunursing) June 10, 2024
Florida Atlantic University (FAU) also received complaints from the State University System (SUS). Their nursing program performed 5% lower than the 86% standard.
FAMU and FAU can kiss their programs goodbye?
Levine said at the meeting, if something isn't done soon to improve the first-time pass rates, then both FAMU and FAU can kiss their programs goodbye.
“I'm prepared to start taking programs away from universities who can't produce a quality enough program that their students can't go earn a living and earn their income," said Vice Chair Levine.
William Youmans of the FAMU National Alumni Association, pushed back on Levine’s comments. He believes FAMU can improve its test scores as long as the university is given the resources to do so.
“Yes, the first time licensing passing rates are below the intended goals, however those challenges are likely not to be understood," refuted Youmans. " I believe that FAMU will see an increase in the rates because of the university’s proven leadership.”
FAMU has started addressing the Board of Governors needs. President Robinson said he’s reviewing the curriculum for pharmacy, nursing, and physical therapy programs, as well as the law school in Orlando. He told the Chairman of the Board that FAMU students will be better prepared for exams in the coming year.
“Making the stronger correlation between the curriculum and the exams themselves, and making the test prep a mandatory part of the student experience; is going to make a significant difference," said Robinson.
Meanwhile, at FAU, the school looks to continue making strides to reach a 100% pass rating for its nursing and medicine programs, as well as improve its 4-year graduation rates.