TALLAHASSEE, Fla. \u2014 Faculty members in Florida A&M University\u2019s School of Business and Industry (SBI) are earning national recognition for helpings students build confidence, gain professional experience and prepare for the workforce.<\/p>\n
The School of Business and Industry received the Faculty Torchbearer Award during this summer\u2019s UNCF UNITE Conference. The UNCF Institute for Capacity Building presents the award to faculty members who collectively advance teaching, research, mentorship, innovation, student success and institutional advancement.<\/p>\n
![\"Florida](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1024x768_UNCFSBIAWARDLAWSON.jpg\")
Florida A&M University\u2019s School of Business and Industry, accepts the UNCF Faculty
\n Torchbearer Award on behalf of SBI during the UNCF UNITE Conference. The award recognizes
\n the collective impact of faculty in teaching, research, mentorship, innovation and
\n student success. (Photo courtesy of FAMU School of Business and Industry)<\/p>\n
The conference theme, \u201cTogether We Lead,\u201d reflected the collaborative approach SBI faculty members say drives their work and supports FAMU\u2019s broader mission.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe UNCF Faculty Torchbearer Award is a tremendous honor for the School of Business
\n and Industry because it recognizes what has always been at the heart of SBI \u2014 our
\n faculty\u2019s commitment to our students,\u201d said Ira W. Bates, Ph.D., interim dean of SBI.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur faculty do far more than deliver instruction in the classroom. They mentor students,
\n connect them with professional opportunities, engage corporate partners, support experiential
\n learning and prepare our students to compete and succeed at the highest levels.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inger Daniels, Ph.D., a professor in SBI, represented FAMU at the conference on behalf
\n of Bates.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t do the work to be recognized, but it does feel good to be recognized because
\n we do believe that we are putting in an exceptional amount of effort to build our
\n students,\u201d Daniels said. \u201cThe fact that it was recognized by the UNCF shows that our
\n efforts are making a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniels has been involved in several FAMU-UNCF collaborations. She advised the FAMU team that won the UNCF HBCU Stock Pitch Competition, helped prepare the \u00a0University\u2019s successful application to join UNCF\u2019s Work-Integrated Learning Community
\n of Practice and servesas program director for UNCF Project ACCLAIM.<\/p>\n
![\"Team](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1024x768_SBIUNCFGROUP.jpg\")
Team of faculty who took students to UNCF Stock Pitch 1st place: Inger Daniels-Hollar & Kenyatta Rosier. (Photo courtesy of FAMU School of
\n Business and Industry)<\/p>\n
\u201cThe strongest faculty work creates opportunities, builds institutional capacity,
\n and expands what is possible for students,\u201d Daniels said. \u201cIndividual faculty contributions
\n accumulate. Over time, they become institutional capacity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Preparing Students Beyond the Classroom<\/p>\n
SBI puts that philosophy into practice through case competitions, corporate engagement, experiential learning and career
\n preparation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re all working together to develop a well-rounded business student from the knowledge
\n base to the professionalism,\u201d Daniels said.<\/p>\n
For Sabrina Jean-Marie, a senior business administration major specializing in finance, that preparation has translated into confidence.<\/p>\n
![\"**Sabrina](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1024x768_SABRINAJEANMARIEWF.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Sabrina Jean-Marie, a third-year senior business administration student specializing
\n in finance at Florida A&M University\u2019s School of Business and Industry, attends a
\n Wells Fargo event during her summer internship. (Photo courtesy of Sabrina Jean-Marie)<\/p>\n
A Miami native and transfer student, Jean-Marie said SBI faculty and staff helped
\n her prepare for interviews, pursue professional opportunities and enter unfamiliar spaces with greater confidence. \u00a0This summer, she interned with Wells Fargo gaining a deeper understanding of finance
\n careers.<\/p>\n
![\"Sabrina](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1024x768_SABRINABLOOMBERG.jpg\")
Sabrina participates in the Bloomberg HBCU Academy of Excellence, an experience designed
\n to expose students to professional opportunities in finance and business. (Photo courtesy
\n of Sabrina Jean-Marie)<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re helping me prepare for interviews, helping me be on track for what\u2019s going
\n on, who\u2019s coming on campus \u2014 just putting us in front of these doors that open the
\n way for us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Economics sophomore Chandler Destra has also experienced the impact of SBI faculty mentorship.<\/p>\n
![\"Chandler](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1024x768_CHANDLERSBI.jpg\")
Chandler Destra, a second-year economics student at Florida A&M University, credits
\n School of Business and Industry faculty mentorship with helping shape his professional
\n development and creating opportunities to pursue his interests in finance and investing.
\n (Photo courtesy of Chandler Destra)<\/p>\n
\u201cThe professors that I\u2019ve met have been some of my biggest advocates to continue pursuing
\n my goals, unlocking potential that even I didn\u2019t know I had,\u201d Destra said.<\/p>\n
Destra credits Daniels with recognizing his interest in finance\u00a0and trading recruiting him for FAMU\u2019s UNCF HBCU Stock Pitch Competition team, which won first place.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom putting me in front of legendary investors and professionals, to recruiting
\n me for the UNCF Stock Pitch Competition, which we went on to win, she laid the way
\n for me to contribute more and more toward SBI,\u201d Destra said.<\/p>\n
Daniels said that commitment to students is evident across SBI\u2019s faculty. She pointed to Johnny McCaskill, an SBI instructor who was named FAMU\u2019s
\n 2025 Teacher of the Year, as another example of faculty whose teaching and mentorship
\n have made an impact on students.<\/p>\n
Recognition like McCaskill\u2019s and the accomplishments of SBI students, Daniels said,
\n reinforce the collective nature of the work behind the Faculty Torchbearer Award.<\/p>\n
Creating Opportunities Through Partnership<\/p>\n
SBI\u2019s partnership with UNCF connects classroom learning with professional experience.<\/p>\n
Through Project ACCLAIM, FAMU students receive hands-on experience while engaging with industry professionals and developing career-ready skills, industry engagement and professional development.<\/p>\n
FAMU was also selected as one of 15 HBCUs participating in UNCF\u2019s Work-Integrated
\n Learning Community of Practice, which helps participating institutions align classroom experiences with the work students will encounter in their careers.<\/p>\n
Daniels said that mission is increasingly important as artificial intelligence and
\n other technologies change how students access information.<\/p>\n
\u201cKnowledge is easy,\u201d Daniels said. \u201cBut can you do? That\u2019s what we have to try to
\n train the students more of. Can you do the actual work that you need to do when you
\n get on the job?\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Faculty](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1024x768_SBIBLOOMBERGLAB.jpg\")
Faculty and staff from Florida A&M University\u2019s School of Business and Industry (SBI)
\n gather for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the school\u2019s Investments and Analytics Lab,
\n which provides students with hands-on learning opportunities and access to Bloomberg
\n technology used in the financial industry. (Photo courtesy of FAMU School of Business
\n and Industry)<\/p>\n
Bates said continuing that work will require SBI to build on its legacy while adapting
\n to a rapidly changing business environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cBusiness education is changing rapidly, particularly with advances in artificial
\n intelligence, analytics and technology, and our responsibility is to ensure that our
\n students are prepared not simply to enter that future but to lead it,\u201d Bates said.<\/p>\n
Together We Lead<\/p>\n
Daniels hopes the awardwill encourage faculty members across FAMU by highlighting how their combined efforts strengthen students and the University.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt FAMU, we have a deep love for our school, and we have a deep love for one another and for our students,\u201d Daniels said. \u201cSo, it feels like we are all on a common mission to help to support and uplift members
\n of our family. We don\u2019t say family for no reason.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Inger](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1024x768_INGERANDDEANBATES.jpg\")
Inger Daniels, Ph.D., professor in Florida A&M University\u2019s School of Business and
\n Industry (SBI), and Ira W. Bates, Ph.D., interim dean of SBI, represent FAMU at the
\n UNCF UNITE Conference in Atlanta, where FAMU was announced as a participating institution
\n in Project ACCLAIM, an initiative aimed at increasing HBCU student participation in
\n the asset management industry. (Photo courtesy of Inger Daniels)<\/p>\n
According to Daniels, faculty contribution should expand opportunities for students, strengthen programs,
\n deepen partnerships, and leave the institution stronger. Daniels said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am proud to contribute alongside faculty across FAMU who do that work every day,
\n and proud to see our University recognized for it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Media Contact:<\/p>\n
Ashley Flete
Senior Communications Specialist\u00a0
ashley1.flete@famu.edu<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n