Senior “leadership” of FAMU Office of Communications taking division backwards

The FAMU Office of Communications used to be a very reliable and well-run administrative division. But its new senior “leadership” is taking it backwards.

The quality of writing has declined in the weekly “feature” press releases about major FAMU achievements. The press releases often fail to give thorough answers to the basic questions that they are supposed to answer (Who? What? When? Where? and Why?).

Lately the office itself has been a source of embarrassing news for FAMU. 

Back at a Board of Trustees (BOT) Special Committee on Governance meeting on July 21, BOT Chairman Rufus Montgomery asked why the version of a May 22, 2015 “President’s Notes” document that was sent to the BOT was different from the version of the document that was sent to the media. Vice-President for Communications and External Relations Jimmy Miller wrote a long excuse to the BOT on July 24 that said the differences between the two documents were an unintentional error and that his office would send the correct document to the press “immediately.”

Last week, WFSU reported that the FAMU Office of Communications had hired an individual named Santoras D. Gamble to a job that pays him $75,000 per year. According to WFSU, “Gamble was convicted of Conspiracy to Defraud the United States, a felony.” The United States v. Santoras D. Gamble “Amended Judgment in a Criminal Case” document that is linked to WFSU’s story states that Gamble pleaded guilty and received a sentence of three years’ probation for the offense.

The Office of Communications is supposed to be spreading positive news about FAMU, not bringing negative public attention to itself with its poor internal management.