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FAMU to Narrow Presidential Candidates to 3

By Nicole Bardo-Colon
Black College Wire

The six who made the preliminary cut are, in alphabetical order:

• James H. Ammons, president of North Carolina Central University and former Florida A&M University provost.

• Lawrence F. Davenport, executive vice president for University Advancement and executive director of the FAU Foundation at Florida Atlantic University.

• Howard C. Johnson, provost and vice president for academic affairs at University of North Texas.

• Larry L. Palmer, president and CEO of the Inter-American Foundation and former U.S. ambassador to Honduras.

• Patricia Pierce Ramsey, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Bowie State University.

• Thelma B. Thompson, president of University of Maryland - Eastern Shore.

The six who were eliminated were:

• Robert G. Beatty, general counsel and vice president of public affairs for the Miami Herald Media Co.

• Robert B. Donaldson, director of master's of public administration programs and master's thesis projects/practicum for the Division of Public Administration at Governors State University.

• Alphonso Jackson, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

• Irving P. McPhail, president of the McPhail Group, Baltimore.

• J. Keith Motley, vice president for business and public affairs, University of Massachusetts System.

• Johnny C. Taylor, senior vice president of human resources at IAC/Interactive Corp.

On Dec. 6, the Hollins Group, a search firm based in Chicago hired by the university, presented 12 of the 36 candidates for review by the committee.

The search that began in 2005 is right on schedule, Student Government Association President Phillip Agnew said.

Charles Taylor of the Hollins Group thanked the committee for allowing the firm to conduct the search. "FAMU is still well-regarded across the nation," Taylor said.

Taylor said no committee members interfered with the Hollis Group as it did its work. "It certainly made our job easier, not having to play politics with anyone in the pool," he said.

Challis Lowe, chairwoman of the Board of Trustees, said she referred some names to the search firm but did not directly contact the people she referred. She said none of the names she forwarded was on the list of candidates.

One FAMU alumnus, Ammons, made it into the final six. Ammons, who was provost under former FAMU president Frederick S. Humphries, left FAMU to become the president of North Carolina Central University in 2001.

"One of the questions I would have, let's look at what he did when he was here," Lowe said. "Why wasn't he considered for the president job at the time?"

FAMU intends to invite the finalists back in February to meet with trustees, stakeholders and the community, and the new president is expected to be announced in March.

Castell Bryant, retired president of Miami Dade College's Medical Campus, was named interim FAMU president two years ago, becoming the first female to lead the university. Fred Gainous resigned as president in December 2004.

Nicole Bardo-Colon, a student at Florida A&M University, writes for the Famuan.

Posted Dec. 11, 2006