According to an American Bar Association report, former Interim President Castell Bryant refused to spend $5 million that the Florida Legislature appropriated for the FAMU College of Law in 2006-2007. President James Ammons returned the money to the law school in 2007-2008.Ammons informed the ABA’s Site Inspection Team about the unspent taxpayer funds during its October 28-31, 2007 visit to the Orlando campus. Check page 44 of the report below.
Castell’s decision to sit on millions of dollars that law school students and professors needed paralleled similar actions that financially starved the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. In the later case, she failed to release millions the legislature assigned for construction and faculty positions that were essential to the college’s accreditation. As a result, FAMU’s pharmacy school was placed on probation by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.
Ammons fixed the pharmacy issue by restoring the teaching/research jobs Castell cut, re-hiring Henry Lewis as permanent dean, and working with new lobbying director Tola Thompson to get the unspent construction dollars re-appropriated.
Considering that St. Petersburg Times reporter Ron Matus had the ABA report (which was actually posted on the newspaper’s Gradebook site) it is puzzling why he chose to ignore Castell’s $5M holdout in all his numerous articles and blog posts about the law school’s accreditation challenges. Why didn’t he include the fact about the unspent $5M as context for the administrative troubles that FAMU’s College of Law suffered during Castell’s watch?
Where does the ABA report state that Bryant withheld the $5 mil? All I see is the quote "President Ammons agrees to return to the Law School $5 million that remained unspent from the FY06 budget." As much as I would like to blame Bryant for sitting on the $5 mil, I think there needs to be other proof.
ReplyDelete12:06PM: If the money was appropriated for a specific purpose, to be spent in THAT fiscal year, yet the money was never spent AS it was intended, then what do YOU call it? Inquiring minds are waiting.
ReplyDeleteI agree with 12:06pm -- You can't just tell us anything... even as true rattlers!
ReplyDeleteSame thing with the teaching gym. This is all documented. Catch up, its all in the archives.
ReplyDeleteWhat a difference real leadership makes! Thank you Dr. Ammons.
ReplyDeleteDear Cast-hell,
ReplyDeleteYou are a b*tch arss ni99a! You sat on $5 mil that the FAMU COL needed!!! That was a b*tch move, Cast-hell!!! I'm comin fo' dat arss until YOU PAY WHAT YOU OWE!!!
Sinsurly yours,
THE RATTLER REVENGER!
(lol)
Rattler Nation Editor; Why didn't you erase what 8:29 stated... No matter how bad a person is -- her MAKER will deal with her in His own way. Please erase the b and n words. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYou have favoritism toward comments; you removed what they said about General Counsel Avery McKnight and what was requested in allegations of Dr. Ammons and NCCU (Dr. Long's)off campus satellite school. Can will judge you as well... Kool-Aid Drinker!
How can Castell hold money that the FAMU Board of Directors were not aware? Does that mean the FAM BOD are to blame as well?
ReplyDelete