On October 29, 2011 the Florida A&M University - National Alumni Association (FAMU-NAA) Washington, DC Chapter welcomed the President of the University, Dr. James H. Ammons, to the Washington, DC Metro area to meet with the local FAMU alumni as well as talk to prospective students in the area and offer scholarships to FAMU.

During the meet and greet with the local alumni, Dr. Ammons presented an overwhelming number of stats telling the story of FAMU's recent accomplishments.  Some of the stats are:

• FAMU has been mentioned prominently in US News and World Report being named a top 10 HBCU.  
• Princeton Review recently named FAMU a top university in the Southeast.  
• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently awarded FAMU a $15 million grant for the work being done by the Environmental Sciences Institute.  
• 1 out of 5 African American pharmacists come from FAMU.  
• FAMU now has 13,300 students, its largest enrollment in its history.

During the alumni meet and greet, he also came to ask the alumni to increase their giving to the university.  The university has lost $52 million in state funding over the last five years and that shortfall has to be made up somehow.  The giving rate of the alumni is at 9%, up from 3% a few years ago.  This increase in giving by the alumni is needed to raise money obviously, but also to increase the standing of the university in notable publications, to recruit top notch students with competitive scholarship packages, and to elicit support from corporate sponsors that see that the alumni value the education received at Florida A&M University.  

During the recruitment portion of the visit, he met with the students and told them all about how FAMU can be the place where their dreams can become a reality.  After speaking for a number of minutes , he and Vice President of University Relations Dr. Thomas Haynes gave out scholarships to the university to seven students:

1. Miles Piles
2. Desiree Samuels
3. Darion Brown, Jr.
4. Kenisha Ferguson
5. Kimberly White Rodgers
6. Adrian Bowie
7. Dowan Price