Back when Cleve Warren was the BOT chairman, the meeting was
set for Thursday, June 9, 2016 to Saturday, June 11, 2016. But Warren left the BOT
on May 12 when the Florida Board of Governors declined his application for
reappointment. Vice-Chairman Kelvin Lawson is now the acting BOT chairman.
The meeting, which will also serve as the BOT retreat, will
still take place during the previously announced dates. But the change from
Jacksonville to Tallahassee suggests that meeting is now taking on a more
formal tone.
The June meeting is the only in-person one that the BOT has scheduled before June 30, 2016. That is the deadline for a discussion on whether President Elmira Mangum’s employment will be renewed. She began a three-year contract on April 1, 2014.
The contract between Mangum and the BOT says that: “Dr.
Mangum and the Board’s representative shall confer by no later than June 30,
2016 regarding the renewal or extension of this Agreement and if such renewal
or extension does not occur, the Parties agree to allow the natural expiration
of the term of the Agreement regarding Dr. Mangum’s service as President.”
Moving the meeting from Jacksonville to Tallahassee provides
an opportunity for more students and professors on the main campus to be
present for the discussion about Mangum’s future.
Col. Gregory L. Clark, president of the FAMU National Alumni
Association (NAA), is also encouraging alumni from across the country to turn out in
large numbers for the meeting. The NAA has declared Saturday, June 11th its
“FAMU NAA at the FAMU BOT.” Clark is expected to address the BOT during
public comments.