A week ago, Rattler Nation’s reliable sources warned that some FAMU Board of Trustees members were secretly working out a deal to get Developmental Research School (DRS) Superintendent Ronald Holmes on the College of Education’s faculty in the event that his contract was not renewed on June 30.Sure enough, FAMU announced yesterday that Holmes is joining the College of Education as a “faculty/administrator.”
Because of under-the-table politics on FAMU’s BOT, the university is rewarding failure. The DRS school grade dropped from a “C” to a “D” after Holmes’ first year. Teachers’ jobs were threatened after Holmes did not boost the enrollment numbers enough to satisfy the demands of the 2009-2010 year’s budget. The school had to receive a $425,802 bailout.
But despite it all, there is no accountability. Holmes receives another job on campus and gets to laugh all the way to the bank.
People all across Florida are now laughing at FAMU. The university is treating its College of Education like a dumping ground.
By choosing to reward Holmes’ failure, FAMU is punishing the success of the students who earned admission into the College of Education’s undergraduate and graduate programs. These students did nothing to deserve to the insult of having Holmes on their faculty.
There are some FAMU trustees who do not care about how much they hurt the university’s reputation. All they care about is using their positions to take as much from FAMU as possible.
The dirty BOT politics will continue to hurt FAMU until more Rattlers voice their anger to the governor’s office, Board of Governors, and Florida Senate (which confirms trustee appointments).
Was there ever any doubt?
ReplyDeleteSo sad...
I'd rather be in the room. Better than the superintendent at the DRS.
ReplyDeleteDiscussions in support or in objection are all useful, unfortunately the facts are becoming self evident that a void in leadership existed at all levels and children suffer. Perhaps Rattler Nation will resurrect a previously used petition format which translates into a vote of confidence on those responsible for university answerability and intelligibility: From the Board of Trustees, the University President, and many others that have been entrusted with our most precious resource, our children our future.
ReplyDeleteRarely do we get what we vote for and more often than not do we realize holistic academic advances until students, staff, and faculty proclaim enough is enough. If we have made mistakes in leadership and personnel, let us swiftly correct those misfortunes without personal vendettas and move our institution forward together. Rattlers past, present, and yet unborn are depending on all of our collective talents to uphold the integrity of Florida A&M University.
If we keep our venom relevant, our strike will also remain strong and enhance the promise of never-ending blessings. Despite everything that has come to light, I'm so glad I'm from FAMU!
Terrible but who is surprised?? FAMU has promoted failure before...
ReplyDeleteJust because Holmes failed as Supt. of FAMU High doesn't mean he will fail in FAMU's College of Education. Some people are great professors but lousy administrators.
ReplyDeletePlease don't start this BOG madness again. It makes you look like a bunch of dysfunctional slaves begging for Mr. Charlie to help you wipe your own behind.
Mr. Charlie didn't hire this failure, we did House Boy or girl...
ReplyDeleteDr. Ammons should be a shame of his self. Dr. Ammons needs to resigned also.
ReplyDeletegrammer error himself.
ReplyDeleteR.B. Holmes was appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush. We need to ask the next governor to get rid of him. The madness has to stop.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, Ronald Holmes was not qualified to be a school administrator. The second problem is that his BROTHER who also voted for his appointment, SHOULD HAVE recused himself from that vote-- because it was a glaring conflict of interest from the beginning. FAMU DRS is a failing school. Point blank. It's currently listed as one of the schools under the Florida Department of education's Differentiated Accountability program--a fancy way of saying your school is in trouble and is on a state watch list.
ReplyDeleteRight now, DRS is listed as "Correct II" which is the fourth in a set of five phases before the school is essentially given a white slip.
ONLY AT THE U!
ReplyDeleteThe preacher RB Holmes is behind a lot going on at the U. Some things he is behind should land him in PRISON! AND his BROTHER and guest who is allowing this to go on.????????
RB did recuse himself from the vote on his brother's contract. However, we all know what really happened behind the scenes.
ReplyDeleteHe is behind a lot of the bad that has happened at FAMU. He does these things because he thinks that no one is going to stand up to him.
School card grades have not been released publicly, but word from the street committee is that FAMU DRS earned a grade of "F" this year. Holmes knew what time of day it was, so he simply beat the folks before they beat him and went ahead and resigned on 6/30/10. Now, he will be handicapping the students in the College of Education. It's no wonder we continue to have these problems at the University. We continue to reward incompetence.
ReplyDeleteDon't hate the player; hate the game.
What happen with Carmen Cummings Martin's staff? FAMU fired her entire staff. What's up with that?
ReplyDeleteAny Dean who would agree to this sham should be fired. FAMU DRS will be a D/F school based on the anaylsis of ALL test scores. To saddle the College of Education (COE) with an inarticulate, unschooled, ineffective leader, who has never taught on the college level, is just one of the problems currently prevalent in the COE whose Dean allegedly supervised Holmes.
ReplyDeleteDr. Genniver Bell stopped eating the potatoe chips and be a leader.!!!!
IT' A COLD SLAP IN THE FACE FOR THE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION PERIOD!
ReplyDeletePLEASE GET RID OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND THE DUMB PRESIDENT. PLEASE CALL THE GOVERNOR OFFICE AND NOTIFY THE BOARD OF GOVERNOR WE WILL NOT TOLERATE THIS BEHAVIOR NOT IN THE COE. PUT HIM SOMEWHERE ELSE ON THE OIL SPILL HILL BECAUSE WE ARE SICK OF POSITIONS BEING GIVEN TO UNQUALIFIED PEOPLE THE UNIVERSITY IS FULL OF THEM . THIS IS WRONGGGGGGGGGG!
Carmen's staff was fired cause Fuse-Hall don't like her.
ReplyDeleteI am, was, a proud FAMU alum who graduated from the COE. I used to tell my children that they would go to FAMU at least for undergrad and if they wanted to go somewhere else, fine, but my money would go to FAMU. That is NOT the case now. So sad, yes, but I care more about my children and their education and futures than being loyal to a school that clearly does not have the standards it used to have or the backbone to stand up for its students. If things like this continue, my money will NEVER go to FAMU and neither will my children. And they definitely will NOT be in the COE if Holmes is there! Why would I support ignorance or subject my children to ignorance?
ReplyDeleteThe College of Ed faculty should be PISSED - I mean, OUTRAGED! The College of Ed students should be PISSED - I mean OUTRAGED! The Dean is asleep so she probably doesn't even know Holmes is supposed to be coming and might not even know he's there for another year or so. The President made this deal so...
ReplyDeleteAre they going to move Rivers and Peters over there too? If they are moving Holmes, the complete idiot squad should go. Why split the troupe up? DRS would thank you even if COE wouldn't.
ReplyDeleteA College that does not stand up for injustice; is a college not worth attending!!!
ReplyDelete3:09 - AMEN! There should be outrage at a number of levels including the fact that we still don't have a permanent AD because Ammons wants to appoint another unqualified person Mike Smith (no personal offense) because he let him sit in the seat for 6 months and he positioning is frat brother Will Hudson for the same underserved and unqualified to be VP of Student Affairs. It's really time to stop with the favors and look around the university for the STARS that are there and beyond for the positions that can't be filled with qualified personnel at the university whose only "issue" is that they don't owe you something, they are not related, or you intimidated because you don't know that you can control and manipulate them.
ReplyDelete@7:12
ReplyDeleteHaters everywhere we go.
Well for Michael Smith to not be qualified for the Athletic Director position, he has done a damn good job so far whether you think he is qualified or not. The AD job is definitely getting done.
If Ammons would have picked one of the first two finalists for the AD position you all would have had something to say about that as well. All you do is complain complain complain no matter what, got hatred on your mind you don't never get enough.
As for B. Hudson, he is only there temporarily. Why are you so intimidated? Just because who you picked (oops, you are not the president) did not get the interim position you shouldn't be hating on the person that did. Those two people are doing the job that the president asked them to do.
If he decides to ask you to do a job then you can comment about how good that person is in that position. Or will you tell him that you don't want it?
Let the search committees do the task that they have been given and search for the right persons for the job, and if they don't select who you want and Ammons picks who he wants then he will have to reap the benefits of the person he chooses for those positions.
Maybe when you become president of a college or university then you can pick the person you want or feel is qualified for the job.
Whether he picks someone from off campus that (you think) is qualified, do a nationwide search or pick someone that he thinks is qualified, you are still going to complain about the selection.
So let it go and just deal with it.
9:14 PM, it's people like you who facilitate mediocrity. You can't do anything about it so just accept it? Wow. So if you asked for a well-done steak and they brought you a rare one you would just deal with it? It's the same thing. We want well done (competent) and we got rare (incompetent) so it is our right to complain to the management. If it were up to people like you, the Civil Rights Movement would have never moved because you would have been trying to convince everyone to just be happy with what they have and stop complaining. It is our right and our duty to express our opinions, just as it is yours. We were speaking about Holmes anyway, not these other people. Start another blog post if you want to get on your soapbox about the AD position or any of the other positions. Whether Holmes is inexperienced or not, he’s NOT COMPETENT. Rivers/Turner and Peters are NOT COMPETENT. And now Holmes is bringing his INCOMPETENCE to the College of Education to add to the level of ignorance. Is it the President’s prerogative to do what he wants? Sure it is. Is it our prerogative to voice our objection to this? Sure it is. Instead of trying to shut everyone up, maybe you should try to learn WHY so many people are objecting. Inexperience isn’t the same as incompetence. Holmes, Rivers/Turner, and Peters are INCOMPETENT and it doesn’t matter if you call those who recognize it haters, complainers, or anything else. The truth is the truth. Incompetence is being rewarded. They rewarded Holmes’ incompetence with a position and outrageous salary at the College of Education. If they allow Rivers/Turner and Peters to keep their jobs, they are rewarding their incompetence too. Ammons’ position does not excuse him from questioning; in fact, as a President, he should welcome it. I’m sure Ammons knew he was wrong for saddling DRS with Holmes, Rivers/Turner and Peters and he knows he’s wrong for saddling the COE with Holmes now and will be wrong to leave Rivers/Turner and Peters at DRS. If he believes that he is not, the question is what kind of President is he that he doesn’t care enough to figure out why there is so much outrage over these incompetent individuals he “picked” “approved” “chose” for these positions or allowed to stay.
ReplyDeleteGood for EVERYONE with enough sense to complain.
AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER
@10:47 and @11:14
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you say about the the whole Holmes and Turner issues but I do not agree with what is being said about the new young ideas and creativity that others are about to bring to FAMU during their Interim reign.
So AGAIN to ALL the HATERS, Deal with it because it is what it is and all you CAN DO is Complain. Lol.
IT IS THE 21'S CENTURY NO WE DO NOT HAVE TO TAKE IT I SUGGEST WE CONTINUE TO WRITE THE GOVERNOR CHRIST AND ASK HIM TO CLEAN UP THE OIL SPILL ON THE HILL.
ReplyDeleteIT'S TIME TO TAKE THE COVERS OFF! AND LET THE CHIPS FALL WHERE THEY MAY.
IT'S NOT GOOD.
@ 11:20
ReplyDelete...did you type lol ...what are you 12 years old ?
...as far as the new young ideas and creativity on the hill are any of their bright ideas helping with the retention rate ?
.....and to Mrs. Cummings-Martin hang in there you will be alright
I am done over this one. You guys are too much! This to shall pass.
ReplyDeleteEnough is enough!!! The Board of Trustees SHOULD NOT use the College of Education as their personal dumping ground. Dr. Holmes could not even provide the name of his dissertation to his hiring committee and now they are having him to teach college level students with no teaching experience. I understand that when he attempted to get his doctorate at FSU, he was a complete embarrassment. Have you ever talked to this man---he mumbles. He also ran DRS into the ground--expect a D/F school grade. FAMU will never change as long as our faculty uses their needs rather than their head.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I have enjoyed the public relations campaign to resuscitate his reputation.
Dr Bell is on vacation, this might have happen without her knowledge. Check before Spec, ask her what is going on.
ReplyDeleteDr. Bell has been on vacation since she was hired! It is so sad the Dr. Ammons only hires people that he feels that he is smarter than, owes favors to, or are FAMUans who have never been anywhere or are rehires over and over again.
ReplyDeleteDr. Ammons is NO Dr. Hump!!! The Dean of College of Education is WORTHLESS AS A DEAN!!!!!!!! And that is why she was hired, to be sure that she is no threat to Sad Ammons.
It's hard to even know where to begin. I agree that Dean Bell has been figuratively and literally on vacation since she was hired. If she does not know that a new "professor" is joining HER faculty - whether she is on vacation or not - it is an even sadder commentary than her propensity to rather eat potato chips than actually do something productive for the COE. I like the idea of beginning a petition. I’ll be the first one to sign.
ReplyDelete7/03/2010 11:20 PM, your ignorance is coming through loud and clear. Deal with it? All we CAN DO is complain? Your mind is obviously mired in ignorance and you know nothing about social change, social justice, or civil liberties, even though you enjoy the benefits of others before you who complained and didn’t deal with it so that you could voice your ignorance without fear of consequence. And…Lol? Did you really type “Lol” and expect to be taken seriously? Stop trying to insinuate yourself in conversation with the adults if you don’t know how to speak intelligently or if you are on the same level as Holmes, Rivers/Turner, AND Peters. Of course you would think there are new young ideas and creativity in the air because obviously your mind is extremely young (no matter what your age may be) and you have no idea of what you are speaking. Go back to the children’s table sweetie if you’re not prepared to be at the grownups table.
Well stated 7/04 9:05 p.m.I agree with you.Dr. Ammons is sad and dumb.
ReplyDeleteIt is not only sad and dumb but it affects the reputation of this University. I am shocked at the level of cronyism, nepotism, and foolishness that parades at FAMU as management. We will never progress until it ends.
ReplyDelete