FAMU down to 2 appointed alumni trustees, UF has 9

University of Florida Board of Trustees in 2015

On Thursday, the Florida Board of Governors (BOG) will announce its appointment decision for FAMU Board of Trustees (BOT) seat that has been vacant since January 6, 2015.

The governor’s office and BOG have appointed ten alumni to the BOT at the University of Florida. But they have only appointed two alumni to the BOT at Florida A&M, the only public historically black university in the state.  

UF’s appointed alumni trustees are: David L. Brandon, James W. Heavener, Leonard H. Johnson, Rahul Patel, Marsha D. Powers, Jason J. Rosenberg, Robert G. Stern, David M. Thomas, and Anita G. Zucker.

FAMU’s only appointed alumni trustees are: Kelvin Lawson and Craig Reed.

FAMU has one additional alumni trustee who was elected from inside of FAMU. Faculty Senate President Bettye A. Grable earned a master of science in journalism from FAMU.

Back in January, FAMU National Alumni Association (NAA) President Gregory L. Clark said the small number of appointed alumni trustees at FAMU was unacceptable.

“We have a lot of talented graduates from FAMU,” Clark said in an interview with WCTV-6. “I think we should take a hard look and tap into some of the talent that is out there. All we’re asking for is a fair shot at looking at some of our graduates out there to serve on the board of trustees.”

The NAA stated that it has “been getting calls of concerns about the low number of alumni on the board. They say there should be more.” Clark said he would take the issue to the governor's office and BOG, which are responsible for BOT appointments.