Florida Memorial University (FMU), South Florida’s only Historically Black College and University (HBCU), continues expanding programs and resources to better serve students.
By DR. EMMANUEL LALANDE
Special to South Florida Times
I have long been of the opinion, based on over 15 years of experience, that Student Affairs holds a special place in the higher education construct – it embodies the “heart” of the students and influences their overall collegiate experience.
Thus, administrators, faculty and staff all play critical roles in the success of not only the student, but also the Student Affairs division.
In my seven months of service at Florida Memorial University, I continue to be energized and revitalized by our cross-campus collaboration that is informed by FMUs strategic plan.
Our focus is not just on achieving a number, but how to comprehensively improve and enrich the FMU collegiate experience for each and every one of our current and prospective students that we will welcome beginning August 9.
Enrollment subject matter experts agree that some of the core concepts and principles of successful enrollment management involves:
• the delivery of effective academic programs
• increasing process and organizational efficiency
• improving service levels to all stakeholders
• creating a data-rich environment
FMU has been aggressively addressing these core concepts and more.
Last year’s Career Pathways grant award from the Lilly Foundation and UNCF was a major step forward towards transforming our academic programs to connect academic majors to relevant career paths such as our Cyber Warrior Diversity certification program (the only program in South Florida); Education undergraduate and graduate programs (ranked 8th in the State of Florida); practice-ready programs in Communications; and our innovative and global academic programs in Business and Humanities.
Under thoughtful and intentional leadership, we have been non-stop in our efforts to improve customer service delivery to students and families, as we also aim to improve our customer service delivery throughout the campus to each department and with one another.
And of course, our institutional research team undergirds and guides our decisions in the areas of academics, student affairs, financial aid, retention and enrollment.
We have added to our robust program offerings a dual enrollment program in collaboration with the Miami-Dade County Public School District; new partnerships with California Community Colleges and the Oakland Promise; and FMU is an official Yellow Ribbon school demonstrating our commitment to America’s service men and women.
In the spirit of improved customer service delivery, our returning and new students will experience renovations in our Residence Halls and throughout campus, as well as added an on-campus enrichment component that comes with 24-hour, live-in residence hall managers and directors.
Overall, FMU’s strategic collaborative enrollment efforts underscore the family atmosphere that makes Lion Country a unique experience for us all – and we invite prospective students to reach out to us and find out how they can be a part of it. For more information, visit www.fmuniv.edu.
Dr. Emmanuel Lalande, is the Vice President of Student Affairs for Florida Memorial University.
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