When Dr. James Ammons took the helm of his alma mater, Florida A&M University (FAMU), he inherited a nationally recognized school facing numerous crises. Ammons, who served as provost of FAMU during its heyday in the 1990s, knew the school was mired in trouble with the state, having accumulated dozens of state auditor questions about its financial operations resulting in two years of unacceptable state audits. A legislative watchdog task force had even been established out of concern that the school's fiscal problems were so widespread that the state would have to take over. To make matters worse, Ammons got news in his first week on the job in July 2007 that FAMU, once recognized as an academic model for other colleges, was being placed on "probation" for six months by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The accrediting agency had serious questions about several academic programs at FAMU. Within a year, the problems Ammons inherited were resolved. This article discusses how Dr. James Ammons took bold action to put FAMU's fiscal house in order including several rounds of layoffs, closing academic departments, dramatically increasing tuition, and tightening admission standards.