Campus Alert Archive
FAMU

FAMU Goes Virtual Preemptively: Florida's Public HBCU Cancels In-Person Classes Even Without a Direct Threat

FLthreat of violenceadvisoryhigh confidence
UnfoundedNo evidence of an actual threat was found. The institutional response is documented because the alert communication is identical to what would occur during a real incident.

On September 11-12, 2025, Florida A&M University — Florida's only public HBCU — shifted all classes to virtual instruction and sent employees to remote work despite having received no direct threat. The decision was a precautionary response to the coordinated wave of hoax threats targeting at least seven other HBCUs that morning. FAMU resumed normal operations on Monday, September 15, 2025.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Florida A&M University
Hbcu · FL
~9,700 studentsFAMU Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Verified verbatimFAMU Alerts Archive 2025435 chars
FAMU Police Department is aware of recent email threats reported across the higher education community. At this time, FAMU has not received any threats. In response to these threats across higher education, all classes for the main and satellite campuses will shift to virtual learning, and employees will shift to remote work on Thursday, September 11, through Friday, September 12. Normal operations will resume Monday, September 15.
Unlike most universities in the September 11, 2025 HBCU wave, FAMU did NOT receive a direct threat — the decision to go virtual was a precautionary measure based on threats to other HBCUs
FAMU's preemptive posture distinguished it from peer HBCUs like VSU and Hampton, which only locked down after receiving their own direct threats
The shift covered both the main Tallahassee campus and FAMU's satellite locations, including the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and the Crestview-Peaden campus
FOLLOW-UPEmail
Approximate reconstruction360 chars
Classes at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering will be virtual on Friday. The Crestview-Peaden campus will be virtual all day. Dining services will operate on a modified schedule, and main campus food services will close at 6 p.m. In-person classes will resume Monday, Sept. 15. Instructors will communicate any course-specific adjustments via Canvas or email.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

FAMU continued operational reductions through Friday despite continuing to have no direct threat
Modifying dining services and engineering instruction at the FAMU-FSU College demonstrated the cost of precautionary protective posture
By Friday evening, FAMU communicated a return-to-normal plan for Monday — keeping students informed of when life would return to normal
Context

Background

On the morning of September 11, 2025, Florida A&M University — Florida's only public HBCU — became one of the few historically Black institutions to take preventive action without receiving a direct threat. As at least seven HBCUs in five states received hoax threat calls that morning, FAMU President Timothy Beard announced that all classes would shift to virtual instruction for September 11-12 and employees would work remotely. The decision was striking: FAMU had not received any direct threat, but chose preemptive risk reduction over normal operations. Other Florida HBCUs that received direct threats — including Bethune-Cookman — locked down only after the calls came in. FAMU's posture reflected lessons learned from the 2022 wave of HBCU bomb threats that shut down dozens of campuses, and the heightened anxiety following the September 10 assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. The university resumed normal operations on Monday, September 15, 2025. FAMU's response demonstrated a model of institutional risk management — the cost of two days of remote operations was deemed acceptable in exchange for not exposing students and staff to the chaos of a potential lockdown.
Analysis

Key Findings

FAMU was distinctive among HBCUs in the September 11 wave for taking preemptive protective action without receiving a direct threat
The decision applied to all main and satellite campuses including the joint FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and the Crestview-Peaden campus
FAMU's communication explicitly named the rationale as response to threats to OTHER higher education institutions — a transparent acknowledgment of solidarity-driven risk reduction
The two-day virtual posture meant FAMU avoided the SMS-alert chaos of peer HBCUs like VSU, but at the cost of disrupting in-person instruction without a confirmed threat
Outcome
No injuries; no direct threat received. FAMU shifted all main and satellite campuses to virtual learning for September 11-12, 2025 and employees worked remotely. Normal operations resumed September 15, 2025.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    FAMU Alerts Archive 2025
    famu.edu
  2. News
    Several HBCUs lock down following campus threats (Higher Ed Dive)
    highereddive.com
  3. News
    HBCU's under lockdown, including Virginia State University, after receiving threats (CNN)
    cnn.com
  4. News
    Multiple HBCUs Go On Lockdown in Response to Threats (Inside Higher Ed)
    insidehighered.com
Tags
hbcufloridatallahasseepreemptivevirtual-classesseptember-11-2025-hbcu-wavepost-charlie-kirkno-direct-threatUnfounded
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion