Florida A&M University
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, commonly known as Florida A&M University or FAMU, is a public, historically black university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. Florida A&M University was founded on the highest of seven hills in Tallahassee, Florida on October 3, 1887. It is one of the largest historically black universities in the United States by enrollment. It is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, as well as one of the state's land grant universities, and is accredited to award baccalaureate, master's and doctoral degrees by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The university is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
In 2015, the National Science Foundation ranked Florida A&M University as the #1 HBCU in the nation for total research and development expenditures.
History
On October 3, 1887, the State Normal College for Colored Students began classes, and became a land grant university four years later when it received $7,500 under the Second Morrill Act, and its name was changed to State Normal and Industrial College for Colored Students. However, it was not an official institution of higher learning until the 1905 Buckman Act, which transferred control from the Department of Education to the Board of Control, creating what was the foundation for the modern Florida A&M University. This same act is responsible for the creation of the University of Florida and Florida State University from their previous institutions. In 1909, the name of the college was once again changed to Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College for Negroes, and in 1953 the name was finally changed to Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. Florida A&M is the only publicly funded historically black college or university in the state of Florida.