Of FAMU’s 13 trustees, Karl E. White stands out as a board member who has recently had some serious trouble getting important facts straight. When the trustees convene in Orlando on Thursday, White should come prepared to make factually accurate contributions to the conversation.Back at the August 4, 2011 FAMU trustees meeting, White showed that he knew about as much about presidential contracting in the State University System of Florida (SUS) as Sarah Palin knows about Paul Revere.
During the meeting White said he wanted an ad hoc committee to work to remove the clause in President James H. Ammons’ contract that required a super-majority vote to terminate the president without cause. He justified his position by saying that it was his understanding that Ammons was the only SUS president with such a clause.White’s “understanding” turned out to be 100 percent wrong. Florida Atlantic University (FAU) President Mary Jane Saunders’ contract requires a super-majority vote for termination with or without cause. Former FAU President Frank Brogan, the current SUS chancellor, also had the same super-majority clauses in his contract with the university.
White still has not explained why his “understanding” was inconsistent with the facts. Did he simply choose to speak without knowing what he was talking about? If so, he can still take comfort in knowing that he is not the most clueless trustee in FAMU history.
Former Chairman Jim Corbin did not know that the board’s own operating procedures required him to run meetings according to Robert’s Rules of Order. Former Trustee Jesse Tyson did not understand that FAMU is accredited and that there is no level of accreditation higher than the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
But White should not want to be in that type of company. The FAMU family has enough big challenges to face without the additional headache of having to explain why some trustees don’t have all their basic facts together.
White needs to work extra hard to get through the next board meeting without making another statement that can be easily debunked in the media and create unnecessary public embarrassment for the university.