The 2023 Celebration Bowl, where Florida A&M University clinched a national football championship with a 30-26 win over Howard University, was more than a meeting between two top athletics programs at HBCUs. That Saturday also brought together two schools that are powerhouses in preparing blacks for the highest level of scholarly study.

A recent National Science Foundation report on the “Baccalaureate Origins of Underrepresented Minority Research Doctorate Recipients” reveals that FAMU is the No. 1 public baccalaureate institution of origin for blacks who earn research doctorates. Howard, a private institution, is No. 1 overall.FAMU’s success is no surprise given its history of admitting students with strong academic records. For 29 years, all FAMU’s freshman classes have had at least a “B” (3.0 or better) average high school GPA. Since 2019, all FAMU’s freshman classes have had an “A” (3.5 or better) average high school GPA.Howard tops the overall list of institutions that prepare blacks for research doctorates, in large part, because it has more than 30 Ph.D. programs, far more than any other HBCU. Every day, its undergraduate students can observe doctoral training in-progress and receive advisement from the professors who teach those doctoral students. Howard’s baccalaureate recipients can also apply for admission to Howard’s Ph.D. programs to continue learning with the faculty members who served as their college mentors.Ever since its founding in 1867, national security has been a cornerstone of Howard’s mission. This helped lead to the federal investments that set the university on the path to becoming a robust center for doctoral instruction. The university’s third president and namesake, Gen. Oliver Howard, used funding from the U.S. Department of War’s Freedmen’s Bureau to support the school’s work to train students for skilled professions that were vital to rebuilding to the post-Civil War South.Still funded heavily through Congressional appropriations, Howard continues to contribute to national security by conducting research and educating scientists in its Ph.D. programs. It is accompanied in this work by neighboring D.C.-based institutions such as Georgetown University and George Washington University.

The Sunshine State, like D.C., should have an HBCU with Ph.D. programs in the science fields that are critical to national security. Florida, due to its status as the third most populous state, a leading food producer, a hub for space exploration, and its location on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, plays an integral role in protecting the country.During the late 1990s, FAMU received state approval, but not funding, to establish Ph.D. programs in a cluster of disciplines that included agricultural sciences, biology, chemistry, computer science, and mathematics. These fields are essential to securing the nation’s food supply and fighting threats such as bioterrorism, chemical warfare, and cyberterrorism.

The Florida Legislature should provide FAMU with the appropriations it needs to start Ph.D. programs in these crucial areas of study. By supporting the development of more science Ph.D. programs at FAMU, Florida can do even more to enhance the United States’ safety.

Larry O. Rivers, Ph.D., is an historian and a FAMU alumnus. He resides and works in the metro Atlanta area.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU’s successful record shows its readiness to expand Ph.D. programs