FAMU President Larry Robinson looks ahead after epic rise in latest U.S. News rankings

The celebration at Florida A&M University is in high gear after U.S. News & World Report's latest rankings put FAMU in the Top 100 among the 2023-2024 Best Colleges.

FAMU President Larry Robinson held a gathering Monday morning on the steps of the university's Lee Hall building to acknowledge the latest achievement.

"I'm feeling a lot of pride right now," Robinson said. "It really took a team effort to make this happen, so I'm really proud of the fact that we can now see the evidence of that hard work."

"Coach Willie Simmons and the Rattlers football team have chosen 'It's Our Time' as a slogan for this season," he added, "and it is really our time in more ways than one."

The university ranked No. 91 among the nation's public universities — meeting a highly anticipated goal — and remains the No. 1 public HBCU (historically Black college or university) for the fifth consecutive year.

Previous coverage: 'Outstanding': FAMU breaks into Top 100 in U.S. News & World Report rankings

More college rankings: FSU slips to no. 23 in U.S. News rankings; president says that's 'odd'. Here's why.

On top of the U.S. News rankings, Robinson shared that the Wall Street Journal ranked FAMU among its Top 10 schools that scored the highest in the category of preparing students for careers, with the university coming in sixth place.

But now that getting into the U.S. News Top 100 is checked off FAMU's list, the next potential goal regarding the rankings is to one day break into the Top 50 threshold.

"We came up with 'marching to the Top 100,' and now that we're here, we might go to something like 'striking to the Top 50,'" Robinson said. "We haven't seen what that will look like yet, but we don't want to rest on our laurels like I've said many times. No one is trying to go down in the rankings."

'We just want to continue being the best'

Looking ahead, Robinson says one of his requests to alumni and stakeholders in order to continue the upward trajectory would be for them to keep lending their financial support .

The university received a record-breaking $25.7 million in fundraising for 2022-2023, which exceeded the $15 million goal. It is unclear what FAMU's annual goal will be this school year.

"Our fundraising effort is certainly one of the things we'll be leaning toward," Robinson said. "People like winners, but at the same time, it's not just about the rankings. It's about important metrics such as our focus on student success."

Related news: FAMU strategies include stronger fundraising campaigns, enhanced winning culture and facility upgrades in 2022

Robinson also hopes alumni will "keep sending outstanding young men and women" to FAMU and that they will continue being examples of success for the university's students to look up to.

FAMU received over 20,000 first-time-in-college student applications ahead of the fall, compared to about 10,000 last year.

"The fact that we're in the Top 100 will get FAMU a lot more attention, for sure," Robinson said. "I don't know what it's going to look like next year, but we expect there will be a lot of interest in FAMU."

He says the university will try to stay within the parameters of having an enrollment of around 10,000 students , which is a part of the enrollment component of FAMU's "Boldly Striking" strategic plan.

"FAMU can easily be 15,000 students or higher, but the question is can we provide the services they all would need to be successful," Robinson said. "We're not interested in being the biggest. We just want to continue being the best."

As Robinson's senior leadership team stood behind him during the Monday press conference, he took the time to thank students, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni and the Board of Trustees for the latest major accomplishments.

"I am truly inspired," Chief Operating Officer Donald Palm said. "We all know the value of an HBCU education, but the value of getting an education from Florida A&M University is priceless. It is no accident that for five consecutive years FAMU has been the No. 1 public HBCU."

Robinson highlighted former Provost and former Chief Operating Officer Maurice Edington — who is now president of the University of the District of Columbia — for his past role and leadership that contributed to the university's milestone.

While Palm currently holds the COO position, Allyson Watson has taken on the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs role in replacement of Edington.

"This achievement is a testament to the tenacity, perseverance, dedication and will of the Rattlers to always strive for excellence — no matter what obstacle," Watson said. "It is a good day to be a Rattler."

More on FAMU's recent hires: Familiar face returning to FAMU as executive VP and chief operating officer

More: 'Stellar hire': FAMU announces Allyson Watson as provost, VP for Academic Affairs

As FAMU is ranked as the top public HBCU in the nation, it is also the top-ranked member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference's 12 institutions.

Here is a list of how the SWAC institutions ranked among the nation's HBCUs:

• No. 3: Florida A&M University

• No. 25: Jackson State University

• No. 26: Prairie View State University

• No. 29: Alcorn State University

• No. 35: University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff

• No. 36: Alabama A&M University

• No. 36: Alabama State University

• No. 43: Bethune-Cookman University

• No. 47: Southern University

• No. 49: Texas Southern University

• No. 51: Mississippi Valley State

• No. 53: Grambling University

FAMU held a celebration later in the day on The Quad to keep the ranking-related festivities going.

Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on twitter @tarahjean_.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU President Robinson celebrates U.S. News rankings on campus