(BLACK PR WIRE) – MIAMI GARDENS, FL (April 4, 2011) – The Honorable Jennifer Carroll, trailblazing stateswoman and Florida’s first black lieutenant governor, will be celebrated for her groundbreaking achievements at a reception welcoming President Henry Lewis, III, to Florida Memorial University (FMU). The event will be held Saturday, April 9, 2011, at 6 p.m. in the Smith Conference Center on FMU’s campus: 15800 N.W. 42nd Avenue, Miami Gardens, FL 33054. The cost is $50.00 per person and attendees must RSVP via email at jredd@fmuniv.edu by Wednesday, April 6.

“We are honored and excited to welcome Lieutenant Governor Carroll to our campus and the wider Miami Gardens community,” shared President Lewis when asked about the visit. “She is a dynamic figure and I am eager to show her the outstanding institution our students, faculty and staff are building here.”

President Lewis and the FMU administration will present Lt. Governor Carroll with an award officially recognizing her accomplishments in public service to the state of Florida, including serving as director of the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs, seven years in the state legislature and 20 years in the U.S. Navy. Carroll will join the growing list of political, civic and corporate leaders visiting Florida Memorial as the new president puts the school’s renewed vision into practice.

With President Lewis’ goal to mold Florida Memorial into an active South Florida community participant, local citizens and stakeholders are invited to attend the reception and join the school and civic leaders in commending Lt. Governor Carroll. Please email jredd@fmuniv.edu or call (305) 626-3608 for more information and to reserve your space.

About Florida Memorial University:

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, please contact the Office of Public Affairs at (305) 626-3624 or visit www.fmuniv.edu.

WHO: FLORIDA MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY

WHAT: RECEPTION RECOGNIZING THE HONORABLE JENNIFER CARROLL, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA, AND WELCOMING DR. HENRY LEWIS, III, 12TH PRESIDENT OF FLORIDA MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY

WHEN: SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2011 ● 6 P.M.

WHERE: SMITH CONFERENCE CENTER ● FLORIDA MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY ● 15800 N.W. 42ND AVENUE ● MIAMI GARDENS, FL 33054

NOTE: MEDIA MUST RSVP WITH MATTHEW BEATTY BY THURSDAY, APRIL 7, TO BE ISSUED A PASS FOR THE EVENT: (305) 948-8063 OR MBEATTY@SONSHINE.COM.