Florida A&M University鈥檚 bitterly divided Board of Trustees on Friday selected Marva Johnson, an attorney and corporate executive, as the school鈥檚 next president, despite an outcry from alumni and students who questioned her qualifications and ties to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Johnson, a Charter Communications executive and former chairwoman of the State Board of Education, was one of four finalists to become FAMU president. The appointment requires confirmation by the state university system鈥檚 Board of Governors.
Johnson鈥檚 selection in an 8-4 vote came amid major turnover in the leadership of state universities and colleges, as DeSantis and his allies have tried to overhaul the higher education system. During the past two weeks, search committees at the University of Florida and Florida International University announced presidential selections, and University of West Florida President Martha Saunders said she will step down.
More than a dozen FAMU alumni and donors vigorously opposed Johnson鈥檚 selection during Friday鈥檚 meeting, including some who supported finalist Donald Palm, the university鈥檚 executive vice president and chief operating officer.
鈥淭he truth of the matter is that the baggage that comes with finalist Marvin Johnson is not worth any perceived value brought as a non-traditional candidate. We can't afford another high-profile controversy attached to our university and university's image. We can't afford to be associated with anything that has the slightest whiff of undue manipulation,鈥� Will Packer, an author and film producer who is a Florida A&M graduate, said.
But trustee Nicole Washington, an educational adviser based in Miami Beach, said the state鈥檚 only historically Black public university needed to adapt to an evolving landscape in higher education.
鈥淚 respect the viewpoints expressed but 鈥� they may not be the same strategies that will take to move us forward,鈥� Washington said. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited for new leadership who鈥檚 going to be capable of navigating these complex challenges.鈥�
Florida A&M came under intense scrutiny last year when the school accepted 鈥� then ultimately rescinded 鈥� a $239 million donation from a purported hemp entrepreneur after questions arose about its legitimacy. Fallout from the controversy led to the resignation of former FAMU President Larry Robinson. Timothy Beard, a retired president of Pasco-Hernando State College, has served as interim president of FAMU since July.
Monica Williams Harris, an attorney who serves on the FAMU Foundation鈥檚 board of directors, said Johnson 鈥渋s not ready to lead this institution.鈥� Harris said alumni threatened to drop their financial support for the school if Johnson was selected.
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鈥淚f you are honest about this assessment and don鈥檛 yield to political pressure, that you will realize that she is not the right person at this time to lead this institution,鈥� Harris said.
Pushback against Johnson from the FAMU community intensified after former trustee Earnie Ellison was forced to resign this month when the university system鈥檚 Board of Governors asked that his name be removed from consideration for Senate confirmation. The Board of Governors on Thursday named Raphael Vazquez, a Tallahassee businessman, as a FAMU trustee 鈥� a day before the vote on the presidential selection. Vazquez supported Johnson.
Trustee Belvin Perry, a retired judge and former prosecutor, said Friday that Ellison was 鈥渕ysteriously鈥� removed after asking for a pause in the presidential search process. Perry, who voted for Palm, said he was not pressured by the governor鈥檚 office but had a conversation about the 鈥減ros and cons of each candidate鈥� with one of DeSantis鈥� aides.
鈥淵ou cannot overlook the strong alumni and their voice. You cannot overlook the students and their voice, particularly so when they are based on reasons, based upon solid facts,鈥� Perry said, adding that the result of Friday鈥檚 vote was a 鈥渇oregone conclusion.鈥�
Board of Trustees Chairwoman Kristin Harper vehemently opposed Johnson鈥檚 nomination and suggested the selection could damage the school鈥檚 long-running reputation as one of the nation鈥檚 top historically Black universities.
She pointed to Johnson鈥檚 interviews on campus, saying 鈥渢here was a lack of intellectual depth and a gap in cultural connection that was just painfully blatant.鈥�
Harper also noted that Johnson is seeking $750,000 in annual compensation 鈥� which would be at the maximum end of the $450,000 to $750,000 presidential salary range approved by the trustees Friday. Johnson also did not meet all of the requirements for the job, according to Harper.
鈥淎s a fiduciary, I don't think it's financially responsible to select a finalist whose qualifications pale in comparison to others and whose salary requirements we cannot afford,鈥� said Harper, who voted for Palm. 鈥淚 also have to go on the record as a Black woman in an age of merit-based hiring decisions. How can one justify settling for a candidate who does not meet all of the position criteria or turning a blind eye to exceptionally qualified candidates?鈥�
Proponents of Johnson, who is Black, argued that she would be well-placed to advocate for funding from the state Legislature.
鈥淭his moment calls for someone who understands the systems that fund and govern us, because right now, our survival depends on how we navigate those systems. We cannot depend solely on alumni giving to get our needs. The reality is that most of our funding comes from the Florida Board of Governors and the state Legislature,鈥� Jamal Brown, a pharmacy professor who is president of the FAMU Senate Faculty, said.
Animosity between board members who aligned with Johnson and those who didn鈥檛 flared toward the end of Friday鈥檚 3 陆-hour meeting, as trustee Michael White made a motion to have Washington negotiate Johnson鈥檚 salary 鈥� a task generally handled by the board鈥檚 chairperson.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like a Lifetime movie,鈥� Harper said, adding that she was 鈥渙ffended鈥� by the move.
Perry defended Harper and said the effort to remove her from the negotiation process 鈥渁dds to the odious odor of what鈥檚 going on in this body. 鈥� I just find it horrible that in an institution that talks about love and charity that there is no love, there is no charity.鈥�
After a series of procedural maneuvers failed, the board voted 6-4 to have Washington negotiate the salary.
The higher-education overhaul in Florida coincides with efforts by DeSantis and other Republican leaders to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs and restrict the way Black history can be taught. Critics of Friday鈥檚 vote linked Johnson鈥檚 selection to those initiatives.
Genesis Robinson, executive director of the Equal Ground Education Fund advocacy group, said he was 鈥渄eeply disappointed and troubled鈥� with the board鈥檚 move. He called historically Black colleges and universities the 鈥減illars of Black civic power and self-determination.鈥�
鈥淭his is bigger than one hire. Across Florida, we are witnessing a troubling trend 鈥� the suppression of Black political power, the rollback of DEI, attacks on academic freedom, and now, the co-opting of our institutions, Robinson, a FAMU graduate, said in a statement.
