The City of Tallahassee is crowning itself the “Community of Champions” after historic performances from two of its universities in academics and athletics.
Teams at both Florida A&M and Florida State University claimed multiple titles last year. The two schools also moved up in the national rankings for education. On Thursday, Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox told WFSU the city will be honoring the schools during this year’s Martin Luther King parade.
“We’ve got a lot of things to celebrate,” said Williams-Cox. “As we go into this bicentennial year, we thought it would be a great opportunity to allow folks to come out at no cost to participate and bring the community together.”
Last fall, FAMU entered the Top 100 public universities in the nation, according to the latest results from the annual U.S. News and World Report rankings. In addition, it returns to its status as the #1 public Historically Black College and University in the nation.
FSU earned positive marks for its strong graduation and retention rates, something President Richard McCollugh also recently noted in a video address to the campus.
“FSU’s retention rate…reached 96% for the first time in FSU’s history. At the same time, FSU has achieved a record four-year graduation rate. 75% of FSU students earn their degree in four years or less,” McCullough said.
Along with student athletes from FSU and FAMU, local K-12 schools and clubs will join the celebration. The MLK Day festivities are set to take place Jan. 15th along Monroe Street in downtown Tallahassee. The parade will end at Cascades Park for a special bicentennial tribute.
The City of Tallahassee is now accepting applications to participate in the parade and as a vendor at the celebration in Cascades Park. The application deadline for both is Jan. 9, 2024. https://www.talgov.com/parks/mlkparade
9(MDA4MzU1MzUzMDEzMTkyMzAwMzY5MjY1Mw004))
