Maupin among last minute applicants for FAMU presidency

On Monday, Rattler Nation reported about the effort to urge some FAMU trustees to back an unofficial short list of potential FAMU presidential candidates. Morehouse School of Medicine President John E. Maupin, Jr., whose name was pushed as part of that behind-the-scenes process, has now officially applied for the FAMU presidency.

The FAMU presidential search committee is currently on recess until 1:00 p.m. When it reconvenes, it will discuss Maupin and four other last minute applicants, who are:

Elmira Mangum, vice president for budget and planning, Cornell University

John Price, former founding president of the University of North Texas at Dallas

Dianne Boardley-Suber, president of St. Augustine University

Woodrow Whitlow, Jr., former associate administrator for mission support, NASA Headquarters

For the first 1 hour and 50 minutes of today’s conference call, the committee went through the list of applicants, name-by-name. At least one committee member expressed interest in each of the following applicants. These brief bios come from of the Tampa Bay Times Gradebook blog:

Tony Atwater: Former president at Norfolk State University. He was fired abruptly by the school's board in August following news of delayed financial audits and academic issues at the nursing school.

Desa Allen Ballard: Attorney and an adjunct professor at University of South Carolina School of Law.

Eric Bost: Assistant director of an agriculture and food policy institute at Texas A&M University. Former ambassador to South African under President George W. Bush.

Cristopher Brown II: Recently resigned as president of Alcorn State University, the nation’s oldest public HBCU. The governing body cleaned house at the university after an audit found irregularities in its purchasing practices.

Chukuka Enwemeka: Dean and distinguished professor at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Donovan Essen: Stuart-based dentist.

Bernard Franklin: Executive vice president for membership and student-athlete affairs at the NCAA; former president at Virginia Union University.

Yash Gupta: President and CEO of a Canada-based telecommunications company; former business school dean at Johns Hopkins University. During his short tenure, he was criticized for applying for several different jobs.

Andrew Honeycutt: President of Anaheim University, a private for-profit university that focuses on online degrees.

Edward Jackson: Former chancellor and interim president at Southern University. He is credited with helping clean up a widespread grading and bribery scandal there.

Walter Johnson Jr.: Retired professor and administrator at Shaw University.

Al Lawson Jr.: Lobbyist; spent 28 years in the Florida Legislature and was one of FAMU's most vocal advocates.

Amir Mohammadi: Executive vice president and treasurer at Delaware State University.

Peter Nwangwu: President and board chairman of a medical device sales company; former president and CEO of a research foundation at the University of Nigeria.

Ronald Nykiel: Provost and vice president of academic affairs at University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

Donnovon Outten: Dean of the University College at Hampton University catering to non-traditional students. Previously applied for presidency at South Florida State College.

T. Joan Robinson: Vice president for international affairs and former provost at Morgan State University.

Ray Schackelford: Former vice president for institutional effectiveness and professor at Bethune-Cookman University.

Maurice Taylor: Vice president for academic outreach and engagement at Morgan State University. Was named a finalist for the president’s post at Central State University in 2012.

Cornelius Wooten: Vice president for administration and finance at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He previously applied for president positions at Henderson State University and Gadsden State Community College.