The wait for FAMU’s newest vice presidents will soon be over.
After more than a month, and shaving the list from more than 100 possibilities to under five, the search committees have submitted their lists to President Fred Gainous.
“We’ve got to take the time to be as tedious as possible,” Gainous said. “Employment is not an exact science.”
Gainous began interviewing the final candidates Monday morning and will continue until decisions are made. He also plans to visit each applicant’s place of employment.
From the candidates submitted by the screening committees, Gainous said he will choose the top two candidates for each position–the Vice President for Research, the Vice President for Student Affairs, the Vice President for Administrative and Fiscal Affairs and three finalists for Dean of the College of Education.
The persons who filled those positions under president Frederick Humphries left for many reasons. A. Delories Sloan, who was the vice president for student affairs and Gainous’ sister, resigned after her brother’s instatement. She now works as vice president for student affairs at Florida State University.
Frank Hamilton was fired as vice president for research and is now on FAMU’s Environmental Sciences faculty.
Three others left or retired. Bob Carroll, former vice president of administrative and fiscal affairs, and Eddie Jackson former vice president of media relations, retired. James Ammons, the university’s provost, left to work as Chancellor at North Carolina Central University.
Employees from institutions across the nation, including FAMU, applied for the positions. Gainous said Rattlers do not have a competitive edge over other applicants.
“Theoretically, they do not. And they should not,” Gainous said. “It’s not where you work, but how you work.”
Of the five candidates from FAMU, only physics professor Charles Weatherford reached the committee’s finalist roster. The others–visiting math professor Willie Cook, academic adviser Ronald Faniel, education professor and Faculty Senate President Ada Puryear Burnette and Lawrence Carter, associate dean of the College of Engineering Sciences, Technology and Agriculture –did not.
There is still no word on who will work as provost or when the decision will be made but Gainous said the interims have done well.
“The interims have really done great work,” Gainous said.
Gainous, who still must interview the other candidates and visit their places of employment, said he will decide “as quickly as I can.”
Tanya Caldwell can be reached at Tanya_Caldwell@yahoo.com.