Enrollment plummets, fundraising non-existent, and finances a mess
• FAMU's current spring (2007) enrollment of 10,987 and 12,000 enrollment last fall is down from a 13,000 enrollment peak in 2004.
• FAMU fundraising has been stalled under Interim President Castell Bryant.
• The last state audit of FAMU's finances for 2004-05 found multiple concerns from poor record-keeping to inadequate controls over collections and significant turnover of staff.
(source: Tallahassee Democrat 3/9/07)
FAMU under Castell
Faculty gives Castell low marks
CVB says $8 million surplus; auditors say not so
Castell touts successes
So we are blaming Castell for this too?
ReplyDeleteOf course enrollment is down, would you enroll here after hearing about the Ganious debacle?
Of course fund raising is down, she was too busying mending fences, she didn't have time to raise money.
2004-2005 finances, correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't she hired January 2005? How could she have any impact of the previous fiscal year's finances?
Anonymous people, let's see some names.
Actually, CVB was hired in Dec. 2004. The audit covered the final 6 months of Ganious term and the first 6 months of CVB's term ( Through June 30, 2005).
ReplyDeleteWe probably wouldn't be screaming on her about the audit, had she not boldly claimed an $8M million surplus. You do remember that don't you Markus?
Cute Anonymous.
ReplyDeleteI also remember in adapt ERP system that controlled financial reports. You think she concocted that $8M? FSU has similar problems when reporting finances. I remember it being so bad that we were spending money we didn't have, because People Soft reports reported finances incorrectly.
Let's be fair, blame her for her faults, not faults of others.
I think the real problem is we are focusing our efforts on the wrong person. Lets look at the correlation between the decline of FAMU with the appointment of some of board members.
ReplyDeleteHey, but she was so quick to run out a take tout this claim. She even accepted a $50,000 raise and $35,000 bonus on the basis of the claim.
ReplyDeleteIf ERP and PeopleSoft were truly the problem to this $8 million false surplus, she had plenty of time to restate the numbers when the reports were reran. But she didn't do that. She stood firm on it, and months later accepted and pocketed the cash. Only to be found out later it was a fat LIE.
So Markus, this was no computer glitch. This was flat out deception.
I think it was dumb to give a interm president a pay incentive.
ReplyDeleteEnrollment went up during both Gainous years. He kept the recruitment program that Humphries built. As a result, FAMU broke the 13,000 mark in enrollment for the first time.
ReplyDeleteEnollment plummeted because of Castell's decision to shut the recruitment program down in January 2005 and replace it with nothing. She also refused to honor any of the scholarship offers that Gainous had made to students during the Fall 2004 recruitment cycle.
Then, to make matters worst, Castell projected that FAMU would remain at 13,000 students despite her decision to stop recruiting. She developed a 2005-2006 spending budget based on FAMU having 13,000 students. Thus, when enrollment plummeted to 11,000, FAMU went into an immediate multi-million dollar deficit.
The math is very simple. Lack of recruitment + unrealistic enrollment projects in the spending budget = financial crisis.
There is never an excuse for a university to stop recruiting and fundraising. Recruiting and fundraising are like breathing to the university. It doesn't matter what the other problems are. Recruiting and fundraising must continue simultaneously.
ReplyDeleteIs there anything to blame Castell for, Markus?
ReplyDeleteThe three things that will help us now are:
1) to get James Ammons on-board;
2) reconstitute the Board of Trustees;
3) Let time pass.
brotherbrown YOU HAVE COURAGE! Great Pic! Take that markus!
ReplyDeleteMarkus, please explain why the IP took money off of the table that was earmarked for the School of Pharmacy expansion, which had the project been commenced, we wouldn't be looking at probation and a possibility of losing accreditation? Why would she do that and jeopardized the standing of one of our top programs??
ReplyDeleteMarkus!
ReplyDeleteCome out, come out, wherever you are! LOL
markus = castell flunkie sent to rattler nation to make excuses for the piss poor castell administration
ReplyDeleteWhoa! anonymous is RUDE!!! Why don't we discuss what we can do to help the situation instead of blaming people and attacking each other. Whether it's CVB's fault or not, the problem still exists. Attacking her isn't going to fix anything; she obviously doesn't give a $#@%!
ReplyDeleteNow we know why Cast-Hell wanted to hijack the FAMU Federal Credit Union and make them pay for using the name, an organization that was started by and for FAMU employees.
ReplyDeleteSomeone need to ask her who "hijacked" that last 6 figure check that the NAA presented to the university.
ReplyDeletewhat check?
ReplyDeleteyeah. what check?
ReplyDeleteBLOGGERS: Go to Capitaloutlook.com and click on the appropriate link, and you will find wonderful photos, twenty-nine, actually, of the new president, his family, boards members, etc. (at Ammons' official acceptance of the presidency of FAMU. They're great photos!
ReplyDeleteOh I don't mind the hate. I am just happy to see that folks care enough to dialog.
ReplyDeleteBrotherbrown,
Castell made quite a few mistakes, but again the biggest mistake made was giving a Interim President unlimited power.
The problems don't disappear with Castell. Just like most of you all thought that the problems would disappear with Ganious. Don't fall for the okie doke.
No one thought that the problems would "disappear" when Gainous came aboard. but he sure as heck didn't do a doggone thing to eliminate what was there. The man was SO out of his league until its not even funny. Gainous may have been the dumbest president the university has ever had, but I guarantee you that Castell Bryant was the nastiest president that the university has ever had.
ReplyDeleteCorrection on my above comment:
ReplyDelete"...has been the nastiest president that the university has ever had", because the old bat is still there flapping her jaws, talking loud but ain saying a damn thing.
Castell gets the Award for being the "Dumbest President". Please do not steal that title from her. She deserves all the accolades we can muster. Please remember that CVB was dumb, nasty and out-of-touch with all living beings.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteSomeone need to ask her who "hijacked" that last 6 figure check that the NAA presented to the university.
3/10/2007 1:24 PM
Yeah, what check? The NAA ain't gave a damn thing in almost 2 years.
Add to that legacy putting the law school in a situation where, unless a miracles happens, the ABA will not grant full accreditation. Remember, the ABA report cited concerns that the leadership of FAMU did not know how to manage a law school. Make the law school autonomous. Stop dragging your feet on that wagon. Now go run tell dat!
ReplyDeleteHeck, Castell can't run a large High School !!!
ReplyDeleteShe also ran Florida Memorial into the ground when she was interim president there years back.
Rattlernation, as the Castell cabal enters its last days, perhaps we could start a thread of most ignorant quotes or speeches? My favorite is her dragging your feet on the wagon speech given to the pharmacy and law school faculty.
ReplyDeleteRemember when Castell came to the university as interim, and during her first address to the faculty she claimed, in response to a faculty member's question, that "...that was B.C.--Before Castell." Well, what old leather face was doing THEN, was setting the stage for the blame game, because she knew that she was incapable of handling the administrative/financial/
ReplyDeletemanagerial reins of the university, and she was readying herself to step outside her own incompetence.
Why is everyone hollering for (BOT member) Tyson's head on a stick? What has he done/not done. Please school me on this one.
ReplyDelete