{"id":325306,"date":"2026-06-30T23:18:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T23:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/325306\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T23:18:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T23:18:09","slug":"florida-am-university-and-pasco-hernando-state-college-expand-ignite-22-partnership-to-create-new-pathways-to-bachelors-degrees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/325306\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida A&#038;M University and Pasco-Hernando State College Expand Ignite 2+2 Partnership to Create New Pathways to Bachelor\u2019s Degrees"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (June 30, 2026) \u2014 The leaders of Florida A&amp;M University (FAMU) and<br \/>\n                        Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC) today signed an enhanced Memorandum of Understanding<br \/>\n                        (MOU) that expands their academic partnership and creates additional seamless transfer<br \/>\n                        opportunities for students through the FAMU Ignite 2+2 Pathway.<\/p>\n<p>The agreement establishes expanded transfer pathways that enable PHSC students who<br \/>\n                        have completed an associate degree to transfer to Florida A&amp;M University to earn a<br \/>\n                        bachelor\u2019s degree in designated academic programs. The enhanced partnership is designed<br \/>\n                        to increase access to higher education, strengthen Florida\u2019s workforce pipeline, and<br \/>\n                        provide students with a clear, affordable pathway to a four-year degree.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1024x768_PresidentsMOU.jpg\" alt=\"President Johnson and President Hall at MOU Signing\" width=\"822\" height=\"617\"\/>FAMU President Marva B. Johnson, J.D. and Pasco-Hernando President Eric Hill sign<br \/>\n                              MOU strengthening their institutions partnership. (Photo by Robin Holmes)<\/p>\n<p>The addendum to the MOU identifies the following academic pathways available through<br \/>\n                        the FAMU Ignite 2+2 Pathway:<\/p>\n<p>                        B.S. in Agricultural Science<\/p>\n<p>                        B.S. in Agribusiness<\/p>\n<p>                        B.S. in Biological System Engineering<\/p>\n<p>                        B.S. in Food Science<\/p>\n<p>                        B.S. in Pre-Veterinary Science<\/p>\n<p>                        B.S. in Veterinary Technology<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFlorida A&amp;M University was built on a promise to open doors, develop talent, and<br \/>\n                        prepare leaders for the world. That promise was codified in federal law in 1890, and<br \/>\n                        it has never expired. Our partnership with Pasco-Hernando State College honors it,\u201d<br \/>\n                        said Marva B. Johnson, J.D., president of Florida A&amp;M University. \u201cThe Ignite 2+2 Pathway creates a deliberate<br \/>\n                        bridge between aspiration and achievement \u2014 removing barriers and ensuring a FAMU<br \/>\n                        degree is within reach for students across this state. This is an expansion of our<br \/>\n                        covenant with the communities we serve.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1024x768_PMJMOUSmile.jpg\" alt=\"President Johnson smiling at MOU signing. \" width=\"822\" height=\"617\"\/>FAMU President Marva B. Johnson, J.D. is all smiles after MOU signing. (Photo by Robin<br \/>\n                              Holmes)<\/p>\n<p>The enhanced MOU reinforces both institutions\u2019 shared commitment to student achievement,<br \/>\n                        educational excellence, and meeting the workforce needs of Florida by expanding access<br \/>\n                        to high-quality academic programs.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Many of our students begin their academic journey at Pasco-Hernando State College<br \/>\n                        with the goal of earning a degree from Florida A&amp;M University. By aligning these six<br \/>\n                        bachelor&#8217;s degree programs, we are giving students the confidence to know exactly<br \/>\n                        how to progress from being a Bobcat today to becoming a Rattler tomorrow,\u201d said Eric Hall, Ed.D., president of Pasco-Hernando State College. \u201cTogether, we are removing barriers, creating<br \/>\n                        opportunities, and preparing graduates to meet the needs of one of Florida&#8217;s fastest-growing<br \/>\n                        regions. We are proud to partner with FAMU to help our students reach their full potential<br \/>\n                        and return to their communities ready to lead and make a meaningful difference.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The agreement builds upon the longstanding relationship between the two institutions<br \/>\n                        by providing students with clearly defined academic pathways, coordinated advising,<br \/>\n                        and a seamless transition from associate to bachelor\u2019s degree programs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStudent success is at the heart of this partnership,\u201d said Allyson Watson, Ph.D., FAMU provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. \u201cThe enhanced Ignite 2+2 Pathway<br \/>\n                        allows students to begin their educational journey at Pasco-Hernando State College<br \/>\n                        with confidence, knowing they have a structured pathway to complete a bachelor\u2019s degree<br \/>\n                        at Florida A&amp;M University. Together, we are creating opportunities that improve persistence,<br \/>\n                        graduation rates, and career outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1024x768_GroupGift.jpg\" alt=\"FAMU and Pasco-Hernando Administrators exchange gifts.\" width=\"822\" height=\"617\"\/>A gift exchange seals the deal after FAMU and Pasco-Hernando administrators sign a<br \/>\n                              Memorandum of Understanding expanding academic pathways for students. (Photo by Robin<br \/>\n                              Holmes)<\/p>\n<p>Media Contact<\/p>\n<p>Alonda Thomas, Ph.D.<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/news.famu.edu\/2026\/mailto:alonda.thomas@famu.edu\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">alonda.thomas@famu.edu<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>                     <a class=\"back__button\" href=\"https:\/\/news.famu.edu\/index.php\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> Back to Stories<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (June 30, 2026) \u2014 The leaders of Florida A&amp;M University (FAMU) and Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC)&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":325307,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-325306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=325306"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325306\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/325307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=325306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=325306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=325306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}