Boasting a 13-point improvement over last year’s performance metrics score, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) will receive nearly $25.6 million in performance funds for the 2016-2017 year.
The amount is FAMU’s latest award for excellence and improvement on the metrics put forward in 2014 by the Board of Governors. The Governor and Legislature codified the Board’s metrics into law in 2016 and directed $500 million toward the model, including a $225 million state investment that universities matched with $275 million.
FAMU earned back $14 million of the institutional funding that the University contributed to the $275 million, while securing an additional $11.5 million from the State Investment. The funding amounts are subject to confirmation Thursday by the full Board of Governors.
The money will go toward University initiatives that improve performance on the 10 metrics in the Board of Governors’ Performance Funding Model, which include graduation and retention rates and post-graduation success.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Marcella David, J.D., said the University’s improvement was the result of a true team effort by administrators, faculty and staff, and students.
“I am very proud of the dramatic improvement in our performance metric scores, which represents the hard work and dedicated efforts of our faculty and staff, and importantly, represents the hard work and accomplishments of our students,” David Said. “We are looking forward to the strategic investments we will make using our performance funding allocation to further strengthen our programs, student success support, student outcomes and faculty vitality.”
One way the University will continue to make improvements towards performance funding is through the implementation of both the strategic and work plans.
The University’s proposed strategic plan, FAMU Forever Forward, directly ties to the 2016-2017 work plan that was approved by the Board of Governors, today.
To assist in the Board of Governors strategic planning efforts, each university in the State University System (SUS) is mandated to present a work plan that details how the institution contributes to the System’s overall vision.
FAMU’s work plan includes initiatives that focus on increasing student success, recruiting a more diverse student body, and increasing the number of transfer students.
The work plan noted many successful student-centered achievements such as the success of the Undergraduate Student Success Center, an alumni scholarship initiative, and the new interdisciplinary studies program.
Board member Alan Levine said he supports the work plan 100 percent, and he is optimistic that FAMU will continue to improve in various metrics through the utilization of new strategic processes in the coming years.
President Elmira Mangum, Ph.D., presented the University’s full strategic plan to the Board of Trustees during the Board’s June meeting, where they agreed to work with the president and her administration to refine the plan. The proposed plan reveals five destinations that the University will journey toward.
After speaking with stakeholders and analyzing the key factors to the Universities success, the strategic planning committee proposed the following destinations:
- Exceptional student experience
- High impact research, commercialization, and public service
- Excellent and renowned faculty
- Transformative alumni, community and business engagement
- First-Class business processes and exceptional customer service
Mangum said the implementation of both the strategic plan and work plan will ensure the University continues to improve in the Board of Governors’ Performance Funding Model.
“I am thrilled that after only one year we have achieved such a strong improvement in points earned through this Performance Funding Model. Not only did we improve ratings in three areas, but we also received marks of excellence in numerous categories including percent of graduates employed full-time or continuing their education, bachelor’s degrees awarded within programs of strategic emphasis, University access rate, and percent of funding from external resources,” Mangum said.
“As we work to arrive at the destinations of our strategic plan, I am confident that FAMU will continue to move forward and ensure that FAMU students, faculty and staff, and alumni thrive.”
Board Chairman Tom Kuntz will be available to take questions on performance funding and other System priorities at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday. The call in number is 888-670-3525 and the code is 6386908338.
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