FAMU said it expected to announce a new dean the School of Business and Industry by July 1, the university has yet to name a finalist or explain the delay, prompting criticism from alumni who say the administration has again failed to communicate with stakeholders.
The concerns gained momentum this week after FAMU alumna Nikki Free Wiggins, whose social media audience exceeds 147,000 followers, criticized the administration for its handling of one of the university's most important leadership appointments.
"The next dean will shape the school, students, faculty, funding, partnerships the entire future of America's top HBCU business school," Wiggins wrote on Instagram. "The interviews were public. The university promised an announcement by July 1. Today is August 6 and stakeholders have heard absolutely nothing. No name, no update, no explanation."
"Silence is not neutral. Silence is a choice," she added. "If the timeline changed, say so. If the search stalled, say so."
"This is not FAMU's first rodeo with secrecy," she wrote. "The presidential search sparked months of controversy. The recent law school dean pick raised its own series of public questions. Instead of learning that lesson, here we are again. Another major search, another missed deadline, another wall of silence."
Her post generated widespread discussion among alumni.
"Silence is complicity to whatever is causing the delay," wrote alumna Ann Jones. "We need true leadership that delivers measurable results. Hopefully the new hire will be vested in and from the community."
Another alumna, Kenya Sykes, questioned what she described as a broader decline in transparency, pointing to the apparent disappearance of Board of Trustees meeting materials that had previously been posted online.
"Ever since MAGA Marva arrived, the materials that were once routinely made available to the public have seemingly vanished," Sykes wrote on Facebook. "Pre-Marva, we had access to committee presentations, supporting materials and other information that allowed stakeholders to stay informed about the Board's work."
"So what happened?" she asked. "When did that level of transparency change and why? It appears they've chosen secrecy and suppression over sunshine."
The university has not publicly explained the delay in the dean search or addressed concerns about the availability of Board of Trustees materials.
The position carries unusual significance. Founded in 1974 by Sybil Collins Mobley, Ph.D. the School of Business and Industry is widely regarded as one of the nation's premier HBCU business schools, known for producing graduates who have advanced into leadership positions across corporate America through decades-long partnerships with Fortune 500 companies.
The next dean will be charged with restoring that legacy, expanding research, strengthening corporate partnerships and positioning the school for continued national prominence.
Search timelines often change at public universities. But alumni say the issue is not the delay itselfit's the absence of any explanation.
For an administration that has repeatedly emphasized accountability, the unanswered questions surrounding another high-profile search risk reinforcing concerns that important decisions are being made without keeping the university community informed.