‘It will take all of us’: Florida Memorial University officially anoints new president
Four years after landing his job, Jaffus Hardrick was finally inaugurated Friday as the 14th president of Florida Memorial University, the only historically Black college or university (HBCU) in South Florida and one of the oldest schools in the state.
Universities usually swear in presidents within 12 months after hiring them. It took longer for FMU to induct Hardrick, 61, because of what he described as “challenging times.”
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Since coming on board in 2019, Hardrick has led the private university through one of the toughest periods in its 144-year history, a period that included the COVID-19 pandemic and an economic crisis that threatened its accreditation.
“It is my honor to accept this responsibility and continue the great work that we’ve started,” Hardrick said at an investiture ceremony that was held at the university’s Miami Gardens campus and featured music from the Ambassador Chorale and the Roar Marching Band.
“It will take all of us working together — faculty, staff, students, alumni and community partners — to ensure that Florida Memorial continues to ascend to excellence,” he added.
University presidents usually walk into the induction ceremony eager to prove themselves and gain the community’s respect. Hardrick, however, had already done that.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who attended the event, recognized the “tremendous mark” that Hardrick has already made.
“I can think of no one more qualified to continue to lead our only HBCU right here at Miami-Dade County and make sure it continues its bright future as a world-class institution,” she said, in front of the stage’s bright white, orange and blue backdrop.
In the fall of 2021, FMU increased its student enrollment for the first time since 2012. Last fall, it enrolled its largest freshman class in 15 years.
Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, who represents U.S. House District 24, also spoke, donning one of her signature hats, this time black with rhinestones. She delivered a ceremonial $5 million check from the U.S. Treasury to FMU, to fund programs in STEM and national security fields, and presented Hardrick with an official record recognizing him that will go into the Library of Congress.
She described Hardrick as a friend, and a “man of proven leadership, vision and dedication to service.”
Taffany Brown, the Student Government Association’s president, thanked Hardrick for setting an example for the about 1,100 who attend FMU.
“You have made Florida Memorial a place where the best — and I repeat, the best — students want to come,” she told him.
Hardrick previously worked for 15 years at Florida International University, spending the last nine as vice president for student access and success. Before that, he worked for 12 years at Baylor University, where he rose to assistant vice provost for academic affairs.
He got a bachelor’s in sociology from University of Louisiana at Lafayette, a master’s in education from Prairie View A&M University and a doctorate in education at Baylor University.
This story was originally published March 17, 2023 at 8:55 PM.
