TAMPA, Fla. — Officials from Florida A&M University are making their rounds in the Tampa Bay area, making their case to prospective students. School officials said the Bay area produces so many graduates from the HBCU, so their stop here is by design.
What You Need To Know
- Florida A&M University officials are on a recruiting tour for prospective students and their stop in the Tampa Bay is intentional
- FAMU President Larry Robinson said St. Petersburg is a place he considers fertile recruiting ground
- Prospective students get the opportunity to learn about the HBCU’s rich history
For Florida A&M University President Larry Robinson, St. Petersburg is a place he considers fertile recruiting ground. And while it was hard to miss their signature orange and green outside of St. Pete College’s Gibbs campus, Robinson said their history here is just as obvious.
“This campus, Gibbs campus, is named after our founder at Florida A&M University,” said Robinson. “So, there (are) these really deep connections to FAMU.”
Robinson said their stop here in the Tampa Bay area is no mistake and the graduates they produce proves that it’s paying off.
“Your mayor, Ken Welch, is a FAMU graduate. I bet most people don’t know that. They will know that by the end of this program and Will Packer, a billion-dollar producer, who came to FAMU as an electrical engineering major,” said Robinson.
With that kind of track record in the Tampa Bay area, they hit the ground running, making sure to get the word out to the busloads of high school students from Pinellas County who attended their recruiting event.
With the help of song from the school’s traveling performance group, called “The Connection,” prospective students learned about the HBCU’s rich history.
Robinson said besides learning about their top programs and student life, there’s one thing he wants all students to remember, whether they’re former, current, or future.
“The only thing that we say to you is that you will be successful if you’re willing to work as hard on your own behalf as we are willing to work on your behalf as an institution. That is our secret sauce,” Robinson said.
The recruitment tour continues, as students in Tampa were met with the same excitement. The recruiters are traveling to Orlando to meet with prospective students there and promote the annual Florida Classic weekend, which kicks off Nov. 18.