Campus Notes: FAMU team earns $30,000 in Honda Campus All-Star Challenge

FAMU team earns $30,000 in Honda Campus All-Star Challenge

A six-member team from Florida A&M University competed against peers from Spelman University last week in the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge National Championship, billed as America’s premier academic competition for HBCUs. The Spelman team won, but the FAMU team walked away with $30,000 for the university.

The FAMU team consisted of Kimberlyn Elliott, Nicholas Walker, James Wilson, Bryan Anderson (captain), David Kadiri and Karishma Lukose. It was coached by Vivian Hobbs, a retired English and Humanities professor at FAMU.

Since 1991, Hobbs has become the winningest coach in the challenge’s 30-year history, taking eight national championships and earning more than $600,000 in prize money for Florida A&M. 

During the closing ceremonies Tuesday night, nine members of the Marching 100 band performed, along with eight students from Alabama State University. FAMU Director of Bands Shelby Chipman accompanied the FAMU students. FAMU President Larry Robinson also attended the two-day competitions.

Florida A&M students place second in statewide “Hackathon” event

FAMU is hosting a Medical Marijuana Community Forum from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on April 30 at the Lincoln Community Center, 438 W. Brevard St.

Panelists include Peter Harris, director of the FAMU Medical Marijuana Education and Research Initiative;  Cynthia Hughes-Harris, dean of the FAMU School of Allied Health Sciences; Dr. Yvette Mignon, Health and Wellness Centers of North Florida; cardiologist Dr. Earl Britt; Alexis McMillan, pharmacist at Economy Drugstore; Miaisha Mitchell, executive of the Greater Frenchtown Revitalization Council; and Chief Jeffery Beasley of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office.  

Contact Angela Hardiman for more info at Angela.Hardiman@famu.edu or (850) 561-2456.

 Florida A&M to host forum on medical marijuana

FAMU is hosting a Medical Marijuana Community Forum from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on April 30 at the Lincoln Community Center, 438 W. Brevard St.

Panelists include Peter Harris, director of the FAMU Medical Marijuana Education and Research Initiative, Cynthia Hughes-Harris, dean of the FAMU School of Allied Health Sciences, Dr. Yvette Mignon, Health and Wellness Centers of North Florida, cardiologist Dr. Earl Britt, Alexis McMillan, pharmacist at Economy Drugstore, Miaisha Mitchell, executive of the Greater Frenchtown Revitalization Council, and Chief Jeffery Beasley of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office.

 Contact Angela Hardiman for more info at Angela.Hardiman@famu.edu or (850) 561-2456.

 FAMU alum represents university in Bahrain

FAMU alumnus Dominick Ard’is, founder and CEO of the ACT House Inc., attended the Global Entrepreneurship Congress April 15-18 in Bahrain. The Global Entrepreneurship Congress gathers entrepreneurs, investors and researchers from more than 170 countries to identify new ways of helping founders start and scale new ventures around the world. Ard’is represented FAMU as the Entrepreneur in Residence in the Office of Research at FAMU.

Tallahassee Community College earns national recognition for diversity

TCC has been named one of the “Most Promising Places to Work in Community Colleges” by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (and Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine). The college also received this award in 2015 and 2017. This research-based designation recognizes the college for its commitment to equality, workforce diversity and professional development.

The percentage of white, full-time employees has decreased from 63.4% in the 2012-2013 academic year to 56.7% in the 2015-2016 academic year, while the percentage of black full-time employees has increased from 29.6% to 33.6%. TCC also has the second-largest percentage of African-American students among the 28 institutions in the Florida College System.

TCC hosts Refugees and Migrants in America Panel Discussion

The Tallahassee Community College Global Gateway program is hosting a Refugees and Migrants in America panel discussion from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Wednesday in the college’s library, Room 265. Students and the community are encouraged to attend to learn and ask questions about the topic of refugees and migrants in the U.S. Speakers are Mark Schlakman, senior program director at Florida State University’s Center for the Advancement of Human Rights; Elizabeth Ricci, immigration lawyer for Rambana & Ricci; and Una Bilic, site manager for the International Rescue Committee of Tallahassee.

TCC Foundation presented with financial gifts at Wakulla Center

Tallahassee Community College announced four new gifts during the April 15 District Board of Trustees meeting at the college’s Wakulla Center. Heather Mitchell, executive director of the TCC Foundation, highlighted $110,000 in donations earmarked for support programming, facilities and scholarships in Wakulla County.

The gifts include:

• Inspired Technologies: $25,000 to support TCC’s Wakulla Environmental Institute Phase II project.
• Edwin and Sharol Brown, owners of Edwin G. Brown and Associates: $25,000
• Brian and Tanya English: $25,000 investment in honor of Tanya English’s mother, JoAnn Council.
• Panacea Waterfronts Partnership: $35,000 that will be added to its endowed scholarship to provide tuition assistance to two students from Panacea each academic year

TCC professor Melissa Soldani-Lemon to be recognized

Melissa Soldani-Lemon, associate professor of history, is being recognized by the Tallahassee Veterans Village by having a community center named in her honor. Tallahassee Veterans Village is a Volunteers of America program that provides transitional housing and supportive services to homeless veterans to prepare them for a life of independence. Soldani-Lemon and her students have served dinner at Tallahassee Veterans Village for more than 10 years. There will be a dinner at 7 p.m. Thursday at 1280 Kissimmee St.