Holmes should not participate in presidential evaluation

The FAMU Board of Trustees has started its annual process for evaluating President James H. Ammons’ performance. Trustee R.B. Holmes, Jr. is one trustee who should not participate.

Ammons recently accepted the resignation of Ronald Holmes, R.B.’s brother, from his position as superintendent of the FAMU Developmental Research School. Even though the president gave Ronald a comfy faculty appointment in the College of Education, word has spread on campus that R.B. is upset about the way the administration handled his brother’s exit.

R.B. has shown a lack of objectivity when it comes to matters involving his brother. He refused to ask any tough questions about the crisis Ronald created at DRS.

R.B. kept his mouth shut while Ronald let the school grade slide backwards from a “C” to a “D” and failed to boost the enrollment numbers enough to satisfy the demands of the 2009-2010 year’s budget.

The brother an employee who just stepped down from his job should not be in a position to determine what happens to the boss who accepted the resignation.

There are already fears on campus that R.B. might try and use his position as a trustee to pressure Ammons to endorse him for another term on the Board of Trustees. Ammons recently nominated Marjorie Turnbull for an appointment to the board. Gov. Charlie Crist accepted the recommendation and the Florida Senate confirmed it.

Holmes’ term ends on January 6, 2011 shortly after the new governor takes office. On that date he will be eligible for another appointment of up to six years.

Campus sources say that R.B. plans to bash Ammons' handling of FAMU's budgetary cutbacks in the evaluation process and media as a way of twisting the president's arm to eventually cut a deal.

The Ammons administration is feeling especially sensitive to negative media coverage due to pending budget cutbacks. The Board of Governors has instructed all public universities to plan for a five percent cut in 2010-2011 and prepare for an additional 15 percent cut in 2011-2012.

FAMU has already indicated that faculty and staff positions in the School of General Studies and Mulrennan lab in Panama City might have to be eliminated.

The presidential evaluation should be free of the type of under-the-table politics that led to Ronald Holmes’ “reassignment” to the COE. FAMU cannot afford to let its image be marred by more dirty dealing.