FAMU to hold groundbreaking ceremony for new Center for Access and Student Success

Florida A&M University will officially break ground on the new Center for Access and Student Success (CASS) during a ceremony set for Thursday, June 8, 2017, following the Board of Trustees meeting scheduled for that day.

The building site for CASS will be a Wahnish Way parking next the Jake Gaither Gymnasium. The total cost of the CASS will be $39,355,000. FAMU has already received $12,655,000 of that amount from the state. The Florida Legislature recently approved an additional $3,500,000 for CASS during its 2017 session. Gov. Rick Scott hasn’t yet announced whether he will support or veto that line item.

According to FAMU: “The FAMU Center for Access and Student Success (CASS) is designed to be a multipurpose building serving as a one-stop shop for programs like recruitment, admissions, financial aid and enrollment management. This building will also house registrar, scholarship office, counseling services and the Center for Disability Access and Resources.” 

Florida Legislature approves additional $3.5M for FAMU CASS building

The Florida Legislature has approved an additional $3,500,000 appropriation for the new Florida A&M University Center for Access and Student Success (CASS) Building. Gov. Rick Scott will soon decide whether to line item veto the money or let it stay in the state budget.

The total cost of the CASS will be $39,355,000. The legislature has already provided $12,655,000. If the additional funds don’t survive Scott’s veto pen, then the project could fall behind schedule and end up costing more.

According to FAMU: “The FAMU Center for Access and Student Success (CASS) is designed to be a multipurpose building serving as a one-stop shop for programs like recruitment, admissions, financial aid and enrollment management. This building will also house registrar, scholarship office, counseling services and the Center for Disability Access and Resources.” 

Back on January 17, 2017, the FAMU BOT approved an administrative proposal to change the CASS building site from McGuinn Diamond Hall to a Wahnish Way parking next the Jake Gaither Gymnasium. The change is expected to save approximately $208,000.

FAMU seeking $6.9M to remodel Dyson building

Florida A&M University is seeking $6,951,500 to remodel the Dyson building, which was formerly the central facility for the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

“The remodel of the Dyson building will provide classrooms, teaching labs, faculty and support offices, and service areas to meet the Universities mission for teaching, research and community engagement,” Interim President Larry Robinson said in a request form. “The University graduation rate will improve with more teaching classrooms and labs. This project is aligned with Board of Governor's strategic priority to increase the number of degrees awarded in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.”

Planned CASS site might move from McGuinn Diamond Hall to Gaither Gym parking lot

On Friday, the FAMU Board of Trustees (BOT) Budget, Finance, and Facilities Committee will consider a proposal to change the site of the new Center for Access and Student Success (CASS) Building from McGuinn Diamond Hall to a Wahnish Way parking next the Jake Gaither Gymnasium.

The “analysis/overview” section of an action item request prepared by the administration stated that the modification would produce “a net decrease in cost of approximately $208,000.” It said that one big reason for this is that FAMU would avoid the costs associated with demolishing the McGuinn Diamond.

Overton says $622K price tag for repairs won’t jeopardize 2017 home games in Bragg

Back in December, Florida A&M University announced that it needs hundreds of thousands of dollars for critical repairs to Bragg Memorial Stadium.

According to Tallahassee Democrat reporter Jordan Culver, FAMU Chief Financial Officer Angela Poole explained that if FAMU doesn’t obtain the full $622,000 required for the mandatory repairs, then some sections of the football stadium will have to be closed.

Last week, Athletic Director Milton Overton sent a statement to WTXL reassuring the public that Bragg will be open for the 2017.

FAMU needs $5.4M for critical Bragg Stadium repairs over next 5 years

Bragg Memorial Stadium, home of Rattler football, needs $5,459,500 over the next five years for critical repairs.

On Friday, Interim Chief Financial Officer Wanda Ford and Athletic Director Milton Overton will present an “Athletics Budget Discussion” to the FAMU Board of Trustees Budget, Finance, and Facilities Committee.

The report lists five “phases” that need to be completed over the next five years. They are: (1) $622,000 for “structural repairs & internal stair replacement,” (2) $1,937,500 to “sand blast & repainting of steel frame, (3) $500,000 to “sand blast and repaint steel pans & seat and handrail repairs (to prevent deterioration due to corrosion)”, (4) $1,300,000 for “restroom renovation or replacement (8 areas) (Code/ADA compliance),” and (5) $1,100,000 for “press box replacement (for ADA compliance).” 

Athletic fee losses from enrollment decline reduced funds for critical Bragg repairs

Yesterday, many so-called Rattlers who didn’t care about the multi-million dollar enrollment decline under former President Elmira Mangum threw fits on Facebook over news about a financial problem that was made worse by those student loses. 

Tallahassee Democrat reporter Jordan Culver discussed the details that Athletic Director Milton Overton Jr. and Chief Financial Officer Angela Poole shared during a Board of Trustees workshop.

“FAMU must spend $622,000 for structural repairs and internal stair replacement or [Bragg Memorial Stadium] will not be cleared for fall competition,” Culver tweeted yesterday.

Report findings don’t match Warren’s 2015 explanation for President’s House renovations

Back in October, FAMU Trustee Cleve Warren said he didn’t think the capital improvements that had taken place at the on-campus President’s House after the start date of President Elmira Mangum’s contract were ones that required approval by the Board of Trustees (BOT). But an independent report by Grant Thornton LLP said that a $71,529 garage project that began in June 2014 should have been presented to the BOT for a vote before it was started.

The BOT scheduled an emergency meeting to discuss the garage and other renovations at President’s House on October 22, 2015. Joe Bakker, who had retired as the interim chief financial officer (CFO), wrote then-CFO Dale Cassidy a letter about the issue two days before that meeting. Bakker said the garage didn’t need BOT approval because it was paid out of Minor Projects Fund dollars.

Questions remain about who proposed garage project at FAMU President’s House

FAMU released the results of an independent report on the controversial addition of a garage to the on-campus President’s House on Saturday. But questions still remain about who proposed the $71,529 project.

An independent report by Grant Thornton, LLP report states that:  “The results of a walkthrough meeting in March 2014 between the University’s Interim VP of Administration and Financial Services and the BOT Facilities Planning Chairman was not formally documented. At that walkthrough meeting, the BOT member recommended that a garage be added to the University owned residence. This meeting was subsequently documented by the University’s Director of Physical Plant in October 2015; however, no formal BOT approval of this project was documented.”

Kendall D. Jones, the FAMU Director of Plant Operations & Maintenance, said in an October 28, 2015 memo that Board of Trustees (BOT) that Facilities Planning Chairman Spurgeon McWilliams participated in the walkthrough on March 13, 2014. But Jones stated that then-BOT Chairman Chuck Badger was the one who proposed a new garage.

Grant Thornton report at odds with Mangum’s claim that BOT “authorized the garage project”

Grant Thornton LLP has released its findings on a $71,529 garage project at the on-campus FAMU President’s House that nearly led to the firing of President Elmira Mangum in October.

The employment agreement between Mangum and the Board of Trustees (BOT) states that: “Dr. Mangum shall obtain prior approval from the Board (or its designee) for any capital improvements or repairs to the home or its grounds which have a project cost over $10,000.” The purchase order for the garage project was made on June 19, 2014, which was after the April 1, 2014 start date of Mangum’s contract.

Mangum sent a memo to the BOT on October 21, 2015 that said that: “I did not have any knowledge nor did I authorize or sign off on the construction of the garage. Upon further inquiry, it was discovered that the Board of Trustees authorized the garage project.”

Renovations, $371,738 at FAMU and $274,536 at FGCU, lead to testy exchanges

Front door at FAMU President’s House 

installed in Sept. 2014 for $11,519

Today, Florida A&M University is set to receive a report from Grant Thornton LLP that will include a review of controversial renovations at the on-campus President’s House.

On Oct. 1, the Florida auditor general’s office asked FAMU Vice-President Rick Givens to look into whether two purchase orders for renovations at the President’s House had received Board of Trustees approval. The first was issued February 13, 2014 and was for $300,209. The second, which was for a garage project, was issued on June 19, 2014 and was for $71,529.

The employment agreement between President Elmira Mangum and the BOT states that that the president “shall obtain prior approval from the Board (or its designee) for any capital improvements or repairs to the home or its grounds which have a project cost over $10,000.”

FAMU to receive outside review report on President’s House garage, bonuses on Feb. 16

On Tuesday of next week, Florida A&M University will receive a report from the firm hired to conduct an independent review of controversial capital improvements at the on-campus President’s House and bonuses that were awarded to members of President Elmira Mangum’s staff. 

FAMU Vice-President for Audit and Compliance Rick Givens told university trustees on Wednesday that Grant Thornton LLP was selected for the job and will submit its written conclusions on Feb. 16.

The FAMU internal auditor normally carries out such investigations. But the FAMU Board of Trustees (BOT) voted to have an outside company do the review after Givens reported “potential interference with the work of Audit & Compliance” in an Oct. 21 email to then-Chairman Rufus Montgomery.

Rattlers make case for new Student Affairs Building during FAMU Day at the Capitol

FAMU Foote-Hilyer Administration Center

On Thursday, Rattler students, faculty, alumni, and administrators lobbied state officials during FAMU Day at the Capitol. One priority on the 2016 Legislative Budget Request is $26.5M for a new Student Affairs Building.

According to the FAMU Office of Governmental Relations: “Last year, the Legislature provided $6,155,000 of PECO funds to finance the planning and design of a new Student Affairs Building. PECO funding is being requested for the construction of a new Student Affairs Building that will enable the University to consolidate the delivery of essential student services, thereby helping to improve customer service and our performance under the Board of Governor's Performance Funding Model.”

Badger denies proposing door project, says Jones has “me mixed up with somebody else”

The former chairman of the FAMU Board of Trustees (BOT) refuted a university staffer’s account that credited him with proposing a controversial new front door for the President’s House.

Kendall D. Jones, the FAMU Director of Plant Operations & Maintenance, said he and two other administrators began a project to install a new front door at the residence after then-Chairman Chuck Badger suggested it.

“Chairman Badger commented that the existing door was not representative of a University President’s House and should be more presidential,” Jones wrote in an October 28 memorandum. “The project team collaborated and decided to replace the existing door with a better quality door.  As a result, the door replacement was added to the project scope of work.”

But Badger told the Tallahassee Democrat that Jones has it wrong.

Staffer says garage, door projects were Badger’s ideas; Badger denies approving them

Yesterday, the Florida Times-Union reported that an October 28 memorandum by Kendall D. Jones, the FAMU Director of Plant Operations & Maintenance, said that former Board of Trustees Chairman Chuck Badger came up with the ideas for a new garage and a new front door for the on-campus President’s House. But Badger says he didn’t authorize those projects.

The Florida auditor general's office recently asked FAMU Vice-President for Audit and Compliance Richard Givens to look into whether two purchase orders for renovations at the President’s House had received BOT approval. The first was issued February 13, 2014 and was for $300,209.

The minutes of a March 5, 2014 meeting of the BOT Facilities Planning Committee show the Jones made a presentation to the attendees on the President’s House project. Those minutes state that: “Trustee Spurgeon McWilliams (Chair), Trustee Glen Gilzean (by telephone), Trustee Kelvin Lawson, Trustee Kimberly Moore, and Trustee Cleve Warren” were present.

FAMU in a state of confusion over $71,529 garage project at President’s House

The FAMU Division of Audit and Compliance says that there is no documentation to show that the FAMU Board of Trustees (BOT) approved a $71,529 garage project at the on-campus President’s House. But President Elmira Mangum claims that the trustees did give their authorization for the garage to be built.

Confusion over how the detached garage ended up being constructed at the FAMU President’s House swirled during an emergency BOT conference call on Thursday, Oct. 22.

Miller says Mangum didn’t authorize $77,000 garage/driveway project at President’s House

Back in July, FAMU Trustee Robert Woody criticized President Elmira Mangum for not presenting a renovation project of about $77,000 at the on-campus President’s House to the Board of Trustees for approval. But Vice President of Communications and External Relations Jimmy Miller told the Associated Press that Mangum didn’t authorize the project herself.

“Mangum Building” adds to growing list of controversial home improvements for college presidents across nation

Some members of Rattler Country have unofficially named the newest addition to the grounds of the FAMU President’s House the “Mangum Building.” It is a detached garage made of red bricks. The facility has a set of double doors with paint and roof shingles that match the color of the home that it stands beside.

FAMU President Elmira Mangum seemed to take pride in showing the detached garage to her employees during the 2015 Faculty and Staff Barbecue. She even posed for pictures in front of it with some of her guests.

But some FAMU trustees are concerned about the process that led to the construction of that new auxiliary building. Trustee Robert Woody said the project cost about $77,000 and that Mangum did not ask the Board of Trustees to approve it. Chairman Rufus Montgomery also questioned the appropriateness of the project “given the budgetary challenges faced by the institution.”

Trustee says about $77,000 spent on garage project for on-campus President's House without BOT approval

FAMU Presidential Residence in 2011 (Google Maps)

FAMU Trustee Robert Woody recently expressed his concern about what he said was a garage project of approximately $77,000 that took place at the on-campus presidential residence. He said that President Elmira Mangum did not present the project to the Board of Trustees for its approval.

“An example of her failure to communicate with the Board is on the renovation of the garage at the President’s House. This renovation cost was approximately $77,000 which the President did not present to the Board resulted in a failure to receive approval for the project,” Woody wrote in his individual evaluation of the president for 2014-2015.

Durell Peaden, driving force behind FAMU’s Rural Diversity Healthcare Center, dies at 69

Former state Sen. Durell Peaden with FAMU officials in Crestview in 2012

The former state senator who was the driving force behind FAMU’s Rural Diversity Healthcare Center in Crestview, Fla., died on Tuesday, June 23 at the age 69.

Durell Peaden succumbed to a heart attack in Erie, Pa., where he worked as a dean for Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. He previously served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1995 to 2000 and the Florida Senate from 2001 until his term limit in 2010.

“He was probably proudest of being able to bring the FAMU pharmacy school to Crestview,” said Sen. Greg Evers, who was elected to succeed Peaden in 2010.