Florida A&M University has entered a content-licensing partnership with Getty Images to preserve and share the school’s contemporary and archival photography through the agency’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities Collection, the university said in an announcement.

Under the agreement, FAMU’s images will be available on Getty Images’ platform, with the university retaining copyright. Licensing revenue will support the HBCU community, according to the announcement. The collaboration also creates mentorship opportunities for FAMU students to work alongside Getty Images photographers and editors at upcoming industry events.

“Preserving the historic beauty and rich legacy of our campus community is a priority,” said Alonda Thomas, Ph.D., FAMU’s vice president and chief marketing and communications officer. She added that Getty Images has committed additional support for students interested in photography and archival preservation.

The partnership falls under Getty Images’ HBCU Grants Program, launched in 2021 to increase the visibility and access to HBCU visual histories. Early contributions from FAMU include moments from the university’s 2025 spring commencement exercises.

“It is an honor to represent FAMU’s visual history—past, present and future,” said Cassandra Illidge, vice president of global partnerships and executive director of the HBCU Grants Program at Getty Images. Illidge said the program aims both to preserve historical archives and to elevate current campus stories for global audiences while cultivating the next generation of visual storytellers.

About the partners:
Founded in 1887, Florida A&M University is a public HBCU in Tallahassee with additional sites statewide, including its College of Law in Orlando and pharmacy and public health locations in Crestview, Tampa, Jacksonville and Miami. Getty Images (NYSE: GETY) is a global visual content company that works with hundreds of thousands of creators and partners and maintains a large private photo archive.

Attribution: Reporting based on a Florida A&M University news release.