- Recognized public boarding school will take up residence at FMU in August -

(BLACK PR WIRE) – Miami, FL – May 16, 2014 – The SEED School of Miami and Florida Memorial University (FMU) announced a partnership that will bring SEED’s proven 24-hour, college-preparatory education model to south Florida sixth graders in a unique college setting. This August, 60 students will live and learn on the FMU campus, with close supervision from SEED teachers, counselors, and other faculty.

“SEED is excited about the opportunity to open our Miami school on FMU’s campus. SEED Miami’s goal is for our students to succeed in college and life. Being at FMU will help our students experience the value of a college education and to start to learn what’s required to succeed in college.” said SEED Miami President Fran Allegra. “The parents of SEED’s first incoming class appreciate what this partnership will bring, and that their children will be living and learning in a safe and stimulating college setting. We appreciate the efforts of FMU’s leadership and board to make this innovative partnership possible.”

SEED is a 24-hour-a-day, five-day-a-week learning environment for students from sixth through twelfth grade, with campuses currently in Washington, D.C. (est. 1998) and Baltimore (est. 2008). Students complete a rigorous academic and personal development curriculum that prepares graduates for college success. About 90% of SEED graduates at SEED’s existing schools enroll in college, with over 60% of these students having completed, or continuing to pursue, undergraduate or graduate degrees in college. This will be the first SEED school located on a college campus.

“FMU is pleased to welcome the SEED School of Miami to its campus. We are an institution committed to the communities we serve, and we seek opportunities to help ensure future generations of students have every opportunity to succeed. SEED shares our deep belief in the power of education to broaden horizons and build bright futures,” said FMU President Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis. “This relationship will benefit FMU in tangible and intangible ways, and advance our efforts to create partnerships that benefit our students and our institution.”

“The SEED School of Miami is the perfect connection between FMU and our future students, future university leaders and future community leaders,” said Charles George, Chairman of the FMU Board of Trustees.

SEED Miami students will live at FMU from Sunday evening through Friday afternoon and return home on the weekends, with transportation provided free to and from the school. While on campus, SEED students will have separate academic facilities and dormitories from the college students, and girls and boys dormitories will be further divided by floor. The site allows SEED to have additional adults residing on campus.

New Student Orientation will take place this summer on the FMU campus, and classes will begin in August.

The SEED School of Miami is a college-preparatory, public boarding school for underserved South Florida students. Our mission is to provide an outstanding educational program that empowers students to be successful, both academically and socially, in college and beyond. The school will be the first of its kind in Florida and the third in the country, serving as a model for additional SEED schools. It is being opened by The SEED Foundation, a national nonprofit that opened two similar schools in Washington, D.C. and Maryland. More than 80 percent of SEED graduates are first-generation college students. Ninety percent of SEED graduates go on to college. For more information, please visit www.miami.seedschool.org.

Located in the City of Miami Gardens, Florida Memorial University is a private, historically Black institution offering 41 undergraduate degree programs and four graduate degree programs to a culturally diverse student body. Since its inception in 1879, the University has upheld a commitment to providing a solid foundation for thousands of young people and opening doors to educational opportunities that may have otherwise been closed to them. As South Florida’s only Historically Black College or University (HBCU), it is widely recognized for being the birthplace of the Negro National Anthem, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” and the home of Barrington Irving, Jr., the first and youngest pilot of African descent to fly solo around the world. Florida Memorial University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). For more information about FMU, visit www.fmuniv.edu.