(BLACK PR WIRE) – MIAMI GARDENS, FL (JUNE 27, 2011) – Florida Memorial University (FMU), South Florida’s only historically black university, will officially dedicate the recently restored A. L. Lewis Archway Plaza during a ceremony celebrating the school’s former entryway and historic roots in St. Augustine, Florida. The event will take place July 14, 2011, 11 a.m., at the Collier-Blocker-Puryear Park in St. Augustine. A reception will follow with an opportunity to view informational kiosks chronicling the story of FMU.

“Florida Memorial University has a prosperous and inspiring history,” said Dr. Henry Lewis, III, president of the university. “The vision of our former presidents led to establishing St. Augustine’s first college and shapes a legacy of educational excellence we still honor today. We are building upon that legacy and transforming it from good to great.”

FMU traces its origins to 1879 and is the product of two institutional mergers combining Florida Baptist Institute in Live Oak, Florida, and Florida Baptist Academy, founded 1892 in Jacksonville, Florida. Both institutions served former slaves and their descendants, with curriculums focused on industrial education, domestic arts, teacher education, and agricultural, mechanical and religious training. In 1918, the institution relocated to St. Augustine, after which the name changed to Florida Memorial College and the school achieved accreditation.

The archway, built by students in the 1930s, served as the entrance to campus until 1968 when the school moved to Miami, Florida. With the addition of graduate degree programs in education and business, the school was renamed Florida Memorial University in 2006. The dedication launches the school’s redevelopment of the hundreds of acres surrounding the archway, which FMU still owns.

For more information on the A. L. Lewis Archway Plaza Dedication Ceremony, or to confirm your attendance, contact Ms. Janell Blake, in the Office of Institutional Advancement at (305) 626-3609.
About Florida Memorial University:

Florida Memorial University is a private, undergraduate and graduate degree-granting institution located in Miami Gardens, Florida. Florida Memorial’s history and traditions date back to 1879. Its legacy of determination and accomplishment has made it one of Florida’s longest surviving centers of academic excellence. Offering 41 undergraduate degree programs and four graduate degree programs, Florida Memorial is a culturally diverse institution that is committed to transforming lives and helping to create a future for people from many races, ethnicities, countries, religions and socio-economic backgrounds. The university is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs, the National Association of Schools of Music, and the Council on Social Work Education. Strong moral character, mutual respect, freedom of worship and a commitment to serve are the hallmarks of what it means to be a Florida Memorial Lion. For more information, please contact the Office of Public Affairs at (305) 626-3624 or visit www.fmuniv.edu.

WHO: FLORIDA MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY

WHAT: A. L. LEWIS ARCHWAY PLAZA DEDICATION CEREMONY
WHEN: THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2011 â - 11 A.M.
WHERE: COLLIER-BLOCKER-PURYEAR PARK
INTERSECTION OF KING STREET (COUNTY ROAD 214) AND HOLMES BOULEVARD WEST
ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA 32084

MEDIA: PLEASE RSVP BY TUESDAY, JULY 12, 2011. CALL OR EMAIL MATTHEW BEATTY AT (305) 948-8063 EXT. 209 OR MBEATTY@SONSHINE.COM TO RESERVE YOUR SPACE.