“I believe this to be a significant blow to FAMU, in
particular, and HBCUs in general,” Humphries wrote on his official Facebook
page.
Humphries posted a link to a Diverse Issues in Higher
Education article entitled “Florida State Takes Hold of FAMU Engineering Purse
Strings.” The story, which included a link to Rattler Nation, followed-up on
this blog’s coverage of the announcement by FSU President John Thrasher that
his university has replaced FAMU as the fiscal agent for the College of
Engineering.
“I will share my thoughts on this move in due time,” Humphries
wrote.
“Humphries sees FAMU’s budget control as part of the initial
deal he struck with former FSU President Bernie Sliger. Humphries agreed to
place the school in Innovation Park and let FSU choose its dean, as long as
FAMU could control the budget,” the article reported.
The deal that designated FAMU as the fiscal agent for the
College of Engineering was signed by Humphries and Sliger in 1987. The
agreement said that both presidents must agree on the appointment of a dean, so
Humphries let Sliger choose the candidate. Humphries had wanted the location of
the college to be at the site of the former Elberta Crate Factory, but he forfeited
that goal as part of the deal to give FAMU the budget authority for the
college.
FSU now has the fiscal agent duties and the deanship for the COE. FSU employee Yaw Yeboah is still the dean and will continue in that job until his resignation takes effect on July 31. Another FSU employee will then begin serving as the interim dean.
The FAMU Board of Trustees has not taken a vote to approve any changes to the current university policy stating that FAMU wants to serve as the fiscal agent/budget manager of the College of Engineering. Thrasher told his Board of Trustees on June 26 that FAMU agreed to transfer its fiscal agent status to FSU, but did not specify who had agreed to that policy change on behalf of FAMU.