Rufus defends his treatment of Mangum amid calls for BOG inquiry

Yesterday, FAMU Board of Trustees Chairman Rufus Montgomery publicly defended his treatment of President Elmira Mangum since her hiring last year. The comments came after a group of FAMU alumni in the Florida Legislature said his interactions with her “are bordering dangerously close to bullying.”

“As the leader, I take responsibility for any valid criticisms for any decisions that the board makes,” Rufus said in an interview with WCTV-6. “But, in this case, we’ve yet to hear anyone successfully challenge the facts that were presented at the board meeting in question.”

At a June 10 board meeting, Rufus and other trustees blasted Mangum for allegedly failing to properly communicate with them and making other administrative decisions they felt were questionable.

Vice-Chairman Kelvin Lawson proposed a formal reprimand of Mangum, but the board ultimately decided to give the president 30 days to respond to a list of concerns that the trustees raised.

“It’s disappointing. It’s always disappointing to be perceived as non-communicative when we have so much to do and we're communicating,” Mangum told WCTV-6.

Six days after the meeting, five FAMU alumni in the Florida Legislature released a letter that asked the Florida Board of Governors launch “an inquiry…into whether members of the FAMU BOT are improperly reaching beyond legally proscribed authority.”

Senate Minority Leader Arthenia L. Joyner, Rep. Mia Jones, Rep. Shevrin Jones, Sen. Dwight Bullard, Rep. Bobby Powell all signed the letter. Rep. Alan Williams of Tallahassee declined to endorse the statement.

“As we’re sure you are aware, the obligations of any university’s trustees are fairly straightforward, and are limited to policy,” the authors of the letter wrote. “They ought not and do not include involvement in the day-to-day operations of the institutions; that job is left to the president they selected. Evidently, Mr. Montgomery has enlisted a number of his fellow board members to join him as they attempt to directly interject themselves into such operations, and demand that President Mangum subvert her own authority by yielding to theirs.”

According to WFSU, “the Florida Board of Governors says it’s looking into those claims.  Board of Governors Chairman Mori Housseini says state university system officials will be speaking with Mangum’s administration as well as the school’s board of trustees.”