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Florida A&M alumni have made their presence known in the search for a new university president, and the National Alumni Association has officially backed their desired candidate. Current Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Dr. Donald E. Palm was formally endorsed by the organization in a letter released on May 10th per a report by the Tallahassee Democrat.
“We are proud to formally endorse Dr. Donald Palm as our preferred candidate for the 13th President of Florida A&M University,” FAMU NAA President Curtis Johnson said in a May 10 letter to the association’s members obtained by the Tallahassee Democrat.
He added in the letter, “Dr. Palm’s deep connection to FAMU as the current chief operating officer, former faculty member, and long-standing champion of our mission, positions him uniquely to continue our trajectory of excellence.”
The letter accompanied a “Presidential Preference Survey” conducted by the university's National Alumni Association. The results revealed that FAMU’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Donald Palm, received 81.75% of the votes cast by active members. However, the total number of votes was not disclosed to the Tallahassee Democrat.
The new revelation comes as many in the Florida A&M community have voiced their displeasure at the candidacy of Marva Johnson. Florida A&M stakeholders have made their voices heard, openly pushing against Johnson, making their voices heard in a town hall on last Wednesday, per a report by WXTL.
Johnson, currently Vice President of State Government Affairs for Charter Communications, served eight years on the Florida State Board of Education. She was appointed for a first four-year term by Governor Rick Scott and later reappointed for a second term by Governor Ron DeSantis. However, Florida A&M students, alumni, and stakeholders are hesitant to include Johnson in the process due to her ties to DeSantis and her lack of experience in running a university.
Even prominent alumni, including filmmaker Will Packer and former Tallahassee mayor, Florida gubernatorial candidate, and co-host of iHeartRadio’s Native Land Pod, Andrew Gillum, have spoken out against Johnson’s candidacy. Packer posted a video to his social media account
“Right this very minute, a group of activist Republicans are trying to put in the highest position of power someone who is solidly and objectively unqualified for it,” he said. “(Marva Johnson) is a career lobbyist with no experience in higher education administration, literally the same amount of higher education admin experience as you or I. Zero, none.”
He added, “But what we cannot allow is a hostile takeover by someone who is aligned with a party that has loudly and proudly espoused ideologies that attack diversity and diverse institutions, attacked equitable economics and attacked inclusive principles, the exact pillars that institutions like FAMU were built upon.” Gillum, in a “mini-pod” episode of Native Land Pod echoed the same sentiments.
