Academics
Florida Memorial University is a private Baptist-affiliated school in Miami Gardens (the only HBCU in south Florida), offering 27 undergraduate degree programs focused on preparing students to enter into a competitive job market. Unique opportunities are woven throughout all of the curriculums, whether that’s studying Haitian Creole culture, leaning how to write storylines for video games, or taking on dual degree programs like Biology and Nursing (with Florida International University). The Department of Computer Science, Mathematics, & Technology hosts an annual “Hackathon” where students collaborate on creative solutions to technological problems, while the Department of Aviation and Safety offers paid internships at the many nearby airports. As part of the First Year Experience, all students take University 101 and 102, which helps them transition into college and then learn to think critically across different disciplines. The Center for Academic Resources and Support is an academic success center for first-year students, offering academic advising and tutoring, new student orientation, and Summer Bridge programs.
Career
New students all take part in Fall Convocation, which acquaints students with the formal history of Florida Memorial University, after which the entire university welcomes them into the Lion fold in a formal, graduation-style setting. There are more than 40 clubs and organizations (including Women in Aviation and Bahamian Connection), as well as 9 fraternities and sororities, 13 varsity sports, and the recently formed ROAR Marching Band. Top events include Religious Enrichment Week, Homecoming Week, and the annual coronation of the Royal Court. Faculty and staff are actively involved in the communities of South Florida and encourage the same of students, such as accounting students providing tax help for those with lower income or disabilities, or law majors assisting in researching the history of African Americans in Florida. Additionally, the university’s Social Justice Institute is a think tank that examines issues of racial disparities and injustice in Miami-Dade County and the State of Florida.
Culture
FMU has many longstanding partnerships with organizations and employers through each department, providing opportunities such as internships with the Miami Gardens Police Department, NASCAR, and TheatreSouth. Many students from the School of Education go on to become top educators throughout the state; the school also hosts the annual F.L.I.R.T Symposium (Former Lions Involved in Research and Technology) to celebrate its students that go on to pursue graduate or professional degrees in those areas. Notable alumni include business woman Earth M. M. White, renowned theologist Rev. Howard Thurman, and civil rights advocate Harry T. Moore (also a head of the Florida conference of the NAACP).