FAMU Can Hold Its Head High

The Rattler Nation has reason to be proud.

Florida A&M University survived one of its greatest challenges last week when the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools lifted the probation imposed for serious accounting and management shortcomings. Last Thursday's announcement that SACS was satisfied with FAMUs reforms came as a result of hard work. This great institution had to confront its weaknesses and find ways to overcome them.

It was not easy for longtime champions of the historically black university to admit the school had sunk so low that the degrees it granted were in danger of losing value.

Last year, SACS moved toward stripping the university of its accreditation for a series of violations in its accounting and management systems. Millions of dollars in inventory could not be accounted for. Reams of questionable contracts were discovered.

Had FAMU lost its accreditation, students could have been blocked from attending graduate programs, law schools and medical schools. And credits and degrees earned at unaccredited institutions are often not accepted by employers.

But FAMU was able to fix most of the violations and institute new procedures and safeguards to tighten financial controls.

The challenge, now, for Florida's higher education system is to ensure the college never slips into such a state again.

For too long, a hands-off attitude toward FAMU served neither the institution nor its students well. Its board of trustees was too much of a rubberstamp for FAMU administrators, and some black lawmakers have tried improperly to brush away the Board of Governors' oversight.

FAMU is a vital part of Florida's higher education system and the gateway for thousands of Floridians to a better life. Its well-being is important to all of Florida, not just black Floridians.

FAMU President James H. Ammons, a FAMU alumnus, and the Florida Board of Governors task force led by Lynne Pappas did yeomen's work to save FAMU. Ammons still has housecleaning to do, but he has displayed the leadership and commitment to reform that the institution desperately needed.

It's telling that the president asked that his inauguration be delayed until late October - 500 days after taking office - so he could focus on fixing FAMU.

It will be a well-deserved celebration.