Donalds Didn't Just Misread the Room. He Devalued It.

By Kristin Harper

During the Sept. 29 Florida A&M University Student Government Association–sponsored townhall, FAMU students showed up, asked tough questions and listened to a candidate with whom many disagreed. But Congressman Byron Donalds missed an important opportunity: to tell those students how he would make a difference for their university and their education.

Facing a room of accomplished, mostly Black college students, Donalds spent five minutes promoting trade schools as the answer for Florida’s economy. I believe in multiple pathways, and Florida needs skilled trades. But these students chose a university. He added: “Just because you have a degree doesn’t mean it has economic viability. There are five to six degrees that have real economic power — engineering, finance, accounting, law, medicine, architecture.”

Where does that leave nursing, pharmacy, computer science, education, journalism, agriculture, social work, and the arts? Students responded viscerally, calling out the ones missing from his list and every bit as valuable. Donalds reduced the value of higher education to earnings alone. Yet, a university isn’t simply a collection of workforce certificates. It prepares people to earn a living, certainly, but also to think critically, understand history and institutions, communicate, participate in civic life and contribute to a functioning democracy.

“Education must not simply teach work — it must teach life.” — W.E.B. Du Bois

HBCUs, and FAMU in particular, teach both, through lifelong networks, unapologetic belonging, confidence and purpose. When Rattlers say “We Bragg Different,” we have receipts. In its 2027 rankings, U.S. News & World Report placed FAMU 79th nationally, the highest of any HBCU. Since the metric was introduced in 2018, FAMU has ranked between 13th and 26th in the nation for social mobility, which tracks how well colleges lift students and their families into well-paying careers. The economic mobility Donalds credited to trade schools has been delivered, year after year, on the Highest of Seven Hills.

Florida’s next governor will shape the future of FAMU and the students it serves. David Jolly has plans for institution that rectify a number of funding inequities that have undermined its growth. The Republican controlled state legislature has shortchanged the HBCU by $2 billion designated to match the federal land grant award. Jolly has pledged to rectify that funding disparity and grant FAMU flagship status. David is paying attention and truly plans change. I invite you to judge yourself before voting on November 3.

Kristin Harper is a two-time FAMU alumna, immediate past chair of the FAMU Board of

Trustees, author of the Heart of a Leader, and co-host of Rattlers for Joll