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United States House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries weighed in on Florida A&M's controversial hire of Marva Johnson as University President. Florida A&M's Board of Trustees voted 8-4 on last Friday morning to move forward with Marva Johnson as the university's next president. The decision was made during a public session where several alumni and supporters expressed opposition to Johnson.
Jefferies spoke about Johnson's hire in a press conference on Monday afternoon.
“This particular individual appears deeply unqualified…to carry out the mission of Florida A&M University. And it is my suspicion that she will not last long at the institution. She will be a failure,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jefferies, D-N.Y., said during a press briefing Monday when asked about FAMU. “We are not going to allow the Trump Administration to take over Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the country to whitewash our history and to try to indoctrinate the young people of America with their extreme and failing ideology.”
Hakeem Jefferies' comments on Johnson's hire highlight how the Florida A&M presidential search has attracted national attention. Johnson's controversial appointment has sparked greater scrutiny of the process that led to her becoming both a candidate and the sole finalist.
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.
Four trustees voted for Donald Palm, who was also one of the four candidates for the 13th presidential role. He currently serves as the executive vice president and chief operating officer at FAMU. Earlier this week Palm received an endorsement from the Florida A&M National Alumni Association.
“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.
A key point of debate among critics of Johnson's potential appointment by the Florida Board of Governors is her proposed compensation. During last Friday's board meeting, trustees approved a compensation range between $450,000 and $750,000. This range was recommended by the university’s presidential search committee. Notably, Johnson had requested a $750,000 salary in her application but did not disclose her current earnings at Charter Communications.
In an unusual move, Florida A&M Board of Trustees Chair Kristin Harper was stripped of her authority to negotiate the compensation package. Instead, trustee Nicole Washington was given the responsibility of contract negotiations with Johnson, following a 6-4 vote. This decision broke from the board's standard procedure of assigning the chair the responsibility of handling negotiations.
Trustee Michael White, who proposed the change, faced pushback from some board members. “It's quite apparent that lightning struck and hit here at FAMU,” Trustee Belvin Perry said, backing Harper to negotiate the contract. “I find it horrible that in an institution that values love and charity, there is no love and there is no charity.”
As Johnson's hire is soon to become official, the opposition from the Florida A&M community is set to get even louder.
