The FAMU Foundation's board of directors will convene at 2 p.m., today, to discuss and vote on the compensation package for Marva Johnson, who was recently named "president select" of FAMU. The meeting will be held both in person in Frisco, Texas, and virtually via Zoom. This discussion comes during the FAMU National Alumni Association’s annual convention, which began on May 28 and will conclude on June 1.
As of May 29, the Foundation’s finance committee had not yet received a proposed contract for Johnson. The scheduled meeting follows the university’s Board of Trustees' selection of Johnson and the approval of a salary range between $450,000 and $750,000, as recommended by FAMU’s presidential search committee.
If approved, Johnson's total compensation package could reach nearly $1 million. The state of Florida contributes $250,000 to the total salary of university presidents, with the remaining amount being the responsibility of the individual institutions.
If the foundation approves Johnson’s request for a base salary of $750,000, it would be more than $298,000 than the base salary of former President Larry Robinson, who received $451,711 in his final year, including incentives and benefits.
The controversial selection of Johnson has sparked a wave of opposition from FAMU students, alumni, and faculty, who vow to challenge her leadership and the political agenda they accuse her of advancing. Critics argue that Johnson's ties to Governor Ron DeSantis and her lack of higher education experience are antithetical to FAMU's mission. They have also decried her reputation for being a GOP marionette and reliably toeing the ideological line that has defined the GOP's war on African Americans and academia over the past decade.
Johnson has expressed support for various right-wing initiatives, including the opposition to an Advanced Placement course covering African American studies in Florida, which she and the GOP rejected for allegedly indoctrinating students to "a political agenda," and the rollback of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and affirmative action programs.
Keepers of the Flame, a grassroots group of FAMU students and alumni, issued a statement this week urging the FAMU Foundation to reject Johnson's salary package. They called her selection "politically orchestrated" and asked the FAMU Foundation not to fund her excessive salary with philanthropic dollars meant for student scholarships. The group emphasized, "Please don't pay for politics. FAMU is our yard! Not theirs (BOT) to sell out!"
As the FAMU Foundation prepares to vote on Johnson's compensation package, the tension and opposition from various stakeholders remain high, highlighting the deep divisions within the FAMU community regarding her appointment.