Business School Firings Latest FAMU Controversy
By MARLON A. WALKER
Florida A&M University has been a mainstay in the headlines recently, but for all the wrong reasons: fired instructors; inaccurate budget accounts; nearly two years without a permanent president.
As the dark clouds surrounding the nation’s largest historically Black university continue to build, university officials say they are focused on the job at hand — stabilizing the university after years of mismanagement and preparing for the transition to a new leader after 18 months under the leadership of interim president Dr. Castell Bryant.
“We know Dr. Bryant is working hard to take the university to the next level for whatever time she is the president,” says university spokeswoman LeNedra Carroll.
FAMU officials say the recent firing of eight instructors from the School of Business and Industry (SBI) was part of a restructuring strategy to gain separate accreditation for the internationally renowned program.
The firings were rescinded at a FAMU board of trustees meeting in late June, but some speculate it is only a matter of time before the instructors disappear again.
Some faculty members have charged that the dismissals in late May were wrong and lacked the appropriate protocol.
