FAMU hit another road block in its search for a new permanent president as Trustees, yesterday, again postponed the selection of an executive search firm. This latest delay follows an Oct. 16 special meeting where the board was initially expected to make a decision. However, due to a lack of quorum, the meeting didn't happen.
Since the July resignation of Larry Robinson, the Trustees have been trying to initiate the search for a new president, even appointing a 15 person search committee on Wednesday. On Thursday, trustees intended to vote on a firm from a list of seven contenders. However, they only managed to narrow the list down to three firms before engaging in a prolonged discussion about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
“We all had the chance to review the information, and we now selected these three companies based on the available information we had,” said Craig Reed, a trustee. “I don’t know why we’re still having this conversation on DEI. This is not a DEI discussion – this is a presidential search discussion.”
FAMU’s Student Body President and trustee, Loryn May, echoed Reed’s sentiments. “This is what today’s meeting was for,” May said. “I feel like this is just a disservice to the student body and to everyone’s time to have another special meeting.”
The board’s inability to reach a consensus on Thursday means that the selection process will be further delayed, raising concerns about the timeline for finding a new president for FAMU.