Females of African-Descent Modeling Excellence (FAME)
Purpose
The FAME program is a cultural enrichment and support program primarily for first-year Black women. The program was designed to address the lack of support that students were receiving and to serve as a gateway into the study of African American arts and humanities. Students in FAME study African American literature, spoken word poetry, black visual art, and other artistic forms.
Students enrolled in FAME will fulfill the following general education requirements: First Semester Transition, Global Cultures Experience, and Breadth-Humanities.
Elements of FAME
- Coverage of African American writers, artists and cultural figures, including Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni, and Amy Sherald.
- Regular discussions about opportunities and challenges concerning Black women in college and across America.
- Participation in team-building, educational programming.
Self-reported impact of the FAME Program
FAME students often discuss feeling empowered by participating in learning activities with large groups of collegiate Black women. Students in the program talk about the rewards of viewing and discussing recordings of powerful Black women poets and cultural figures. Years later, students from FAME say that the program served as an invaluable foundation for the start of their collegiate careers.