General Information

Name of Institution: Florida A&M University 
Name of Unit: School of Journalism & Graphic Communication, Division of Journalism 
Year of Visit:  2025 

1. Check regional association by which the institution now is accredited. 
   • Higher Learning Commission
   • Middle States Commission on Higher Education 
   • New England Commission on Higher Education
   • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
   • Western Association of Schools and Colleges

If the unit seeking accreditation is located outside the United States, provide the name(s) of the appropriate recognition or accreditation entities: 

2. If the unit seeking accreditation is located outside the United States, provide the name(s) of the appropriate recognition or accreditation entities:  
   • Private
   • Public
   • Other (Specify)

3. Provide assurance that the institution has legal authorization to provide education beyond the secondary level. It is not necessary to include entire authorizing documents. Public institutions may cite legislative acts; private institutions may cite charters or other authorizing documents. 
   Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate, baccalaureate, masters, doctorate, and professional degrees. FAMU may also offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of FAMU may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).
4. Has the journalism/mass communications unit been evaluated previously by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications? 
   • Yes 
   • No

If yes, give the date of the last full accrediting visit. If there was a revisit, give the date of the last full visit and the date of the revisit:  
Last accreditation visit – February 4-7, 2018 
Date of the revisit – January 14-15, 2020 

5. When was the unit or sequences within the unit first accredited by ACEJMC?  
   • 1982
6. Insert here the unit’s mission statement. Statement should give date of adoption and/or last revision.

Mission: 
“We prepare students to be confident, multi-platform communicators for an evolving media marketplace, with a pedagogical emphasis on active learning and experiential experiences.” 

Vision: 
“We will be globally recognized as a premier school that produces students with the knowledge, skills and experience to excel in the digital and traditional aspects of journalism, public relations and graphic design.”  

Adopted in fall 2017/Revised in 2023

7. What are the type and length of terms?
   • Number of weeks in a semester: 16 weeks in fall and 16 weeks in spring 
   • Number of weeks in a quarter:  N/A 
   • Number of weeks in summer sessions: Six weeks summer A, six weeks summer B and 12 weeks for summer C. 
   • Number of weeks in intersessions: N/A
8. Check the programs offered in journalism/mass communications: 
   • Bachelor’s degree 
   • Master’s degree 
   • Ph.D. degree
9. List the specific undergraduate degrees as well as the majors or sequences being reviewed by ACEJMC. *Indicate online degrees.
   • Bachelor of Science in Broadcast Journalism  
   • Bachelor of Science in Public Relations 
10. Credit hours required by the university for an undergraduate degree:  
    (Specify semester-hour or quarter-hour credit.) 
    • 120 credits beginning Fall 2024, previously 125 credits 
11. Give the number of credit hours students may earn for internship experience. (Specify semester-hour or quarter-hour credit.)
    • 1 credit hour for internship
12. List each professional journalism or mass communications sequence or specialty offered and give the name of the person in charge. 
    • Director of Journalism/Public Relations William Jiles 
    • Broadcast Journalism Coordinator Kenneth Jones 
13. Number of full-time students enrolled in the institution:
    • 9,269
14. Number of undergraduate majors in the accredited unit, by sequence. (If the unit has pre-major students, list them as a single total). Give the semester and academic year represented. Add lines as needed. 
    

Spring 2025
Journalism	Public Relations	Pre-majors	Total
119	76	121	316

Fall 2024
Journalism	Public Relations	Pre-majors	Total
111	71	125	307

Spring 2024
Journalism	Public Relations	Pre-majors	Total
121	70	93	284

Fall 2023
Journalism	Public Relations	Pre-majors	Total
114	66	165	345

Spring 2023
Journalism	Public Relations	Pre-majors	Total
114	63	154	331

15. Number of students in each section of all skills courses (newswriting, reporting, editing, photography, advertising copy, broadcast news, public relations writing, etc.). List enrollment by section for the term during which the visit will occur and for the preceding term. Submit two semesters with the self-study and update the list as needed for spring 2025 visits. Include a separate list for online skills courses, which also must meet the 20-1 ratio. (The Council has ruled that campaigns courses are exempt from the 20-1 ratio.)

***Spring enrollment numbers and courses will be updated prior to Feb. site visit.  

16. Total expenditures planned by the accredited unit for the 2024–2025 academic year:
    • $2,849,485
    • Amount expected to be spent this year on full-time faculty salaries: $1,426,662 
17. List name and rank of all full-time faculty in the accredited unit. (Full-time faculty refers to those defined as such by the university.) Identify those not teaching because of leaves, sabbaticals, etc. 

Faculty Name	Rank	Academic Program
Douglas Blackburn	Assistant Professor	Journalism
Bettye Grable	Associate Professor	Public Relations
Clarence Fowler	Visiting Instructor	Journalism
Hsuan Huang	Associate Professor	Public Relations
Leah Hunter	Associate Professor	Journalism
Mira Lowe	Professor and Dean	Journalism
Felicia McGhee-Hilt	Professor and Associate Dean	Journalism
Deborah Thigpen	Visiting Instructor (2023-2024)	Journalism/ PR
Venise Toussaint	Visiting Instructor	Journalism
Valerie White	Associate Professor (Retired Spring 2024)	Journalism
Jeffrey Wilkinson	Professor	Journalism
Kenneth Jones	Professor (Professional Leave Spring 2025)	Journalism
William Jiles	Instructor	Journalism
Arionne Nettles	Instructor (Started Fall 2024)	Journalism
Maureen Tartaglione	Instructor (Started Fall 2024)	Public Relations

18. List names of part-time/adjunct faculty teaching at least one course in fall 2024. Also list names of part-time faculty teaching spring 2024. (If your school has its accreditation visit in spring 2025, also provide the spring 2025 adjunct list in the updated information.) 

Name	Term	Academic Program
Deborah Thigpen	Fall 2024, Spring 2025	Journalism/PR
Zak Dahlheimer	Summer 2024, Fall 2024	Journalism
Ranata Hughes	Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Spring 2025	Journalism/PR
Chandra Lanier	Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Spring 2025	Journalism
Patricia MacEnulty	Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Spring 2025	Journalism
Glyndell Presley	Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Spring 2025	Journalism
Fadia Patterson	Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Spring 2025	Journalism

19. For each of the last two academic years, please give the total number of graduates from the unit. 

Total number of degrees awarded: 
2023-24 academic year: 68 
2022-23 academic year: 78