Florida A&M University’s search to find a new president has been halted again after another delay in the selection of an executive search firm.
During a FAMU Board of Trustees meeting on campus Thursday, where members planned to vote on a company from seven considerations, they got as far as narrowing the list to three.
But as questions were asked of the top three firms, the ongoing discussions led to trustees voting to take more time to hear responses from all seven firms, leaving them back at square one.
Now the trustees will have to schedule a special meeting with the firms’ representatives to decide who will assist the university’s 15-member presidential search committee in advising the board of top candidates. Under a state law passed in 2022, the identities of candidates for the position will be shielded from the public until they become finalists.
“I don’t want to be in a position where I haven’t gathered the same level of information,” Chief Executive Kristin Harper said Thursday, citing information from all companies.
Kristin Harper, chair of the Florida A&M Board of Trustees, will chair a meeting Thursday, December 5, 2024.
The delay in choosing a company follows a special meeting on October 16, where the board initially had to make a selection. Because not enough trustees showed up at the meeting for the required quorum, they could not proceed.
Additionally, the presidential search comes after the resignation of former President Larry Robinson, which led to the appointment of interim President Timothy Beard to a one-year term in August.
With the selection of a search firm still on hold, the university has about six months to select the next leader to meet Harper’s goal of having a new president by June 2025.
‘I can’t afford to get it wrong’
At Thursday’s meeting, each trustee rated seven companies individually on a scale of 1 to 10 – with 10 being the highest – before adding all the scores together. Representatives from the companies attended the meeting via Zoom.
The top three companies in the overall ratings were Storbeck Search/Diversified Search Group, Isaacson Miller and Russell Reynolds.
But questions that prompted Thursday’s long-winded discussion revolved around the three companies’ ability to comply with state laws — including a Florida state law regarding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) — since the companies are from out of state . .
Many trustees, like Craig Reed, thought the concerns were unnecessary.
“We have all had an opportunity to review the information and we have now selected these three companies based on the available information that we had,” Reed said. “I don’t know why we’re still having this conversation at DEI. This is not a DEI discussion – this is a presidential search.”
Craig Reed (left) and Kelvin Lawson (right), members of the Florida A&M Board of Trustees, listen during a board of trustees meeting on Thursday, December 5, 2024.
While trustees continued to direct their questions solely to the three companies, FAMU trustee Belvin Perry suggested that all companies should be able to share their answers, but by then some representatives had already left the Zoom call.
At the same time, the trustees were given time to ask the seven companies questions before narrowing the list of companies down to three considerations, and they raised no concerns when given the opportunity.
“This is what today’s meeting was for,” said Loryn May, president and trustee of the FAMU student body, as she expressed her desire to move forward with selecting a permanent Thursday due to concerns about further delays to the process.
“We all knew the companies would be here, and we all had the opportunity to ask questions. I feel like this is just a disservice to the student body and everyone’s time to have another special meeting.”
Student Body President and FAMU Board of Trustees member Loryn May presents during a Board of Directors meeting on Thursday, December 5, 2024.
During the discussion, Beard intervened and said the board might want to consider a special meeting to further discuss the companies, and Vice Chairman Deveron Gibbons agreed.
“We can’t afford to get it wrong,” Beard said.
Florida A&M Interim President Timothy Beard speaks to the FAMU Board of Trustees during a meeting on Thursday, December 5, 2024.
To the contrary, FAMU trustee Kenny Stone said the board should have moved forward with the selection of a search firm without having to hold a special meeting.
“We fairly selected three companies that could get us the president, and as to whether they would comply with state regulations, they all answered affirmatively” that they would, Stone said. “We are in a good process and we just have to keep making a decision.”
FAMU Board of Trustees member Kenward Stone listens during a board of trustees meeting on Thursday, December 5, 2024.
FAMU trustee Natlie Figgers, who attended the meeting virtually, agreed. “I don’t think there’s a need to do all this again,” Figgers said.
Amid the back-and-forth discussion, trustee Kelvin Lawson proposed that Harper be put in charge of selecting a company based on the board’s top considerations, but a majority vote rejected the proposal. A date for the special meeting has yet to be scheduled.
Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on @tarahjean_.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU board delays presidential search firm selection for second time
