Moments in Our History: Noteworthy Achievements

The college was approved as The Joint Institute of Engineering on February 11, 1982, but presidents Smith (FAMU) and Sliger (FSU) wanted enrollment to begin and classes to start in August of that same year. The initial faculty—cobbled from other departments across the two universities—was excited, worked hard, and were dedicated to the Institute’s success. However, a lot of people were cynical. They thought this unheard-of collaboration would never work. Well, the facts show they were wrong. The college survived and developed into a research powerhouse with world-renowned centers and research affiliations, all the while achieving extraordinary accomplishments in the advancement of African-Americans and women in engineering.

Notable academic milestones include:

1982

First freshman class (35)

1984

400 engineering majors (29% Black, 16% female)

1985

First degrees awarded (13)

1986

First ABET accreditation for CE, EE, ME

1987

Master’s programs in CE, EE, ME approved

1988

BS program in IE and MS in ChE approved

Undergraduate enrollment exceeds 1,000

1989

ChE and ME doctoral programs approved

1992

Full ABET accreditation of ChE, CE, EE, IE, ME programs

1993

College enrollment passes 2,000 (1937 UG; 145 Grad)

BS programs in ME, ChE, EE, CE, IE
MS programs in ME, ChE, EE, CE
PhD programs in ME, ChE

1994

MS program in IE implemented; PhD in EE implemented

1995

FAMU is #1 in US for recruitment of National Achievement Scholars

1997

PhD programs in CE, IE approved;

Time Magazine names FAMU “College of the Year”;

Time Magazine, Princeton Review name FAMU “Top College”

1998

Full ABET accreditation for all programs;

Florida Advanced Center for Composite Technologies and Institute for Transportation Technologies established

1999

BS in CpE approved; Total College of Engineering graduates passes 3,000-mark

2000

MS and PhD in BME approved;

College becomes top producer of African-American BS engineers;

CAPS established with $52M in funding

2001

Graduate enrollment reaches all-time high of 241

2003

CISCOR Center established

2004

Enrollment exceeds 2,300;

Top 10 national ranking as producer of African-American engineers;

Total graduates passes 4,500

2005

Ranked #2 in producing African-American BS engineers

Ranked #15 in producing IE bachelor’s degrees

2006

ASC center joins FSU with two ME faculty;

College has 2 faculty in the NAE;

College receives $5.7M for advanced materials research

2007

$4M received to establish Center of Excellence in Advanced Materials & MRB breaks ground

2010

AME

Center groundbreaking

2016

Sponsored research expenditures over $19M

2017