Florida Memorial is waxing strong in its new status as a university. At the end of 2003, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools awarded the school, the only historically Black university in southern Florida, the status to grant masters or higher degrees. This historic institution, located in Miami, Fla., has significant ties to National Ministries and a rich legacy.

The university celebrated its new status during the 126th Founders’ Convocation in March 2005. It marked the transition by announcing its name change to Florida Memorial University, one of several name changes in its long history. Founded in 1879 as Florida Baptist Institute by National Ministries’ predecessor, the American Baptist Home Mission Society, it grew over time from an institute and normal school, offering primarily vocational training, to a college offering a four-year undergraduate degree in 41concentrations.

Its commitment to career-focused and high quality education put the college in a good position to attain university status. Seventy-five percent of its 114 faculty members hold a Ph.D. or other terminal degree, while the national average is 50 percent for colleges. Along with its regional accreditation, Florida Memorial has professional accreditations from the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs and from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. In July 1998, Black Issues in Higher Education ranked Florida Memorial ninth in the nation for producing African-American teachers.

Florida Memorial’s education program is the first to offer master’s level classes, graduating the first class of six students in December 2004. By spring 2005, another 28 graduated in three possible concentrations: reading, exceptional students education (ESE) and elementary education. ESE graduates teach students who have emotional, behavioral and developmental disabilities and who sometimes are highly intellectually gifted.

Graduates in ESE and reading are in high demand in Miami-Dade County, where the university is located. Both types of training are considered critical shortage areas for Florida’s public school system and Miami-Dade holds out a salary incentive for its ESE teachers. Federal grant funding provides scholarships for ESE master’s students who will teach in an ESE classroom. Moreover, the university gives all education majors a 40 percent tuition break.

“It’s possible for an education student to go entirely tuition-free,” said Florida Memorial’s interim dean of the Education Division, Dr. Mildred Berry.

The master’s in education curriculum is designed for people already teaching, which means evening and Saturday classes are essential. They progress through the program in a cohort, a collegial group that can study and support each other and finish together. Students take two classes at a time during two sessions in a semester. This enables them to carry a 12-credit load, but not have to simultaneously juggle assignments for four courses.

“We’ve had a very positive response from students,” said Dr. Sandra Thompson, associate provost. She added, “At the end, they are just as competitive as any master’s level education graduates.” Thompson values the school’s commitment to making it possible for students to earn a master’s who might not otherwise have that opportunity.

A master’s in business administration is likely the next higher degree program Florida Memorial will offer. Additionally, it has a joint program with the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) in Atlanta, Ga., which grants a master’s of divinity to students who begin their work on the degree at Florida Memorial, often holding a bachelor’s in Religion and Philosophy from the university.

Florida Memorial has the interesting distinction of being the birthplace of the Negro National Anthem “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing.” Yet most distinctive of all, the university is living out its commitment to making educational opportunities available to students who might otherwise have found only doors closed to social inclusion.

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