The FAMU Board of Trustees is set to convene in a virtual meeting at 9 a.m. today (Friday) to vote on a five-year employment agreement for "President-select" Marva Johnson. The board selected Johnson three weeks ago in a contentious 8-4 vote, despite strong objections from FAMU alumni, students, faculty, and the broader community.
The proposed contract outlines a base salary of $650,000 annually for Johnson. Additionally, the document stipulates that Johnson would receive an annual three percent increase in her base salary each year over the previous year’s base salary for the duration of the contract. This would result in a total base compensation of $3,420,029.55 over the five-year period. With bonuses and benefits, the contract is expected to cost much more.
Johnson's selection has been met with significant opposition from the FAMU community, with tensions and divisions remaining high. Just last week, the FAMU Foundation board of directors postponed a crucial budget amendment that would pay the portion of Johnson's salary package beyond the $200,000 the state of Florida pays until more contract details were available.
This morning's vote is expected to be a performative in nature, before it agains goes back to the FAMU Foundation. FAMU Trustees are hoping to send Johnson's final contract to the Florida Board of Governors for approval at its June meeting.
As the board prepares to make its decision, the FAMU community remains divided, with many calling for Johnson to withdraw her candidacy. The outcome of today's meeting will likely have far-reaching implications for the future of FAMU and its relationship with its constituents.
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 Trustees 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!"