FAMU does NOT need a MAGA plant as President

Get the Point!

The Florida A&M University Board of Trustees will soon select a new president and according to local news, there is a 9:00 a.m. virtual meeting slated this morning to provide an update on the process.

Earlier this week, Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor, an old friend of mine, FAMU High School graduate, double Howard University alumnus (BS/JD), and longtime FAMU professor, penned a letter that was published which questioned what has been rumored for several weeks--which is that Florida MAGAs are surreptitiously pushing for one particular candidate who allegedly aligns with their politics. According to an article in the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper, in his letter Proctor averred, "The public now believes the process of a search is a farce...Please suspend the current presidential search process at FAMU. There should be no forthcoming recommendation. Peer through the haze of this Hanky Panky Express and restart the search process.” According to the same article, Proctor, when asked whether the candidate in question is Attorney Marva Johnson, vice president of government affairs for Charter Communication, he declined to respond.

Like a relay race, while Commissioner Proctor took the first leg, I will grab the baton and state that my sources have indicated that Florida MAGAs DO prefer Attorney Johnson's selection as the next FAMU President. While I do not know Johnson personally, I have read her resume and do not see where her credentials hardly qualify her to lead the nation's #1 public HBCU per U.S. News & World Report's annual rankings!

Ever since the State of Florida eliminated the centralized Board of Regents to create individual university boards during Gov. Jeb Bush's tenure, a move that was followed not long thereafter by the retirement of legendary FAMU President (and HBCU advocate) Frederick S. Humphries, PhD, the direct influence of conservative politics into daily university affairs has slowly grown until now, universities across America and in Florida are being forced to make their decisions based upon bending the knee to a MAGA agenda that is overtly hostile to Black achievement and Black civil rights—two areas that have been critical to FAMU's mission from the moment its doors were opened during the earliest days of Jim Crow in 1887. As such, FAMU's president MUST be an indefatigable advocate towards those ends, as well as a talented fundraiser and recruiter who will compete for dollars and scholars worldwide.

Meaning, I fully agree with Commissioner Proctor that the #1 public HBCU is NOT the place for on the job training; every single day we see where unqualified Trump administration cabinet heads like Pete Hegseth, Linda McMahon, and Robert Kennedy Jr are eroding public confidence in their ability to keep America safe, educated, and healthy, which is why we don't need a similar dilettante "On the Highest of Seven Hills" in Tallahassee!

Now, in full disclosure, I must state that I grew up with one eminently qualified finalist, Dr. Rondall Allen, and am longtime friends with Dr. Donald Palm, FAMU’s eminently qualified executive vice president and chief operating officer. These two men, along with University of Central Florida Vice President for Administration and Finance Gerald Hector, have put in the work through the years in higher education administration and would be ready to hit the ground running in Lee Hall!

But again, in a time in which "anti-woke" and "anti-DEI" are the two main buzz phrases espoused by Florida Gov. Ron Desantis and his legislative echo chambers, the LAST thing that FAMU needs is someone who lacks the experience—or desire—to push back against those who would dilute the University brand or, at worse, see it defunded entirely! Thus, my fervent opposition to the candidacy of Attorney Johnson!

Lest we forget...