One thing is clear.
According to the Florida A&M University Office of Public Affairs, retired Army Colonel Ronald M. Joe is now the University’s interim vice president of Development, effective immediately.
But what may not be so clear is how this position became vacant.
In a press release sent out yesterday at 4:14 p.m., Interim President Castell V. Bryant announced the leadership change among the University’s top executives, plain cut and dry.
The conditions under which the now former VP of Development Love Collins III left his post, apparently, are still quite murky.
John Livingston, who described himself as “a personal colleague of Collins,” sent out a press release hours before the Office of Public Affairs stating, “Collins will resign from his appointment as VP of Development as well as his position as Executive Director of the FAMU Foundation, effective April 1.”
Bryant said she is aware of the document but declined to comment.
Bryant wouldn’t even say whether Collins was fired or resigned.
“I can’t answer directly because it’s against the law to discuss limited access information,” Bryant said. “It falls under that.”
Bryant would not comment on the Capitol Campaign Fund-raising projects that Collins was leading because they began under former President Fred Gainous’ administration.
Collins was appointed to his post in November of 2003 by Gainous. Prior to coming to FAMU, Collins was the associate vice president of development at Howard University.
In the statement issued by Public Affairs, Bryant said, “During my interview, I told the Board of Trustees that one of the things they could expect from me is a commitment to making difficult decisions in an environment with competing opportunities and that is what this is all about.”
Collins was unavailable for comment.
Alexia R. Robinson contributed to this report.
Contact Nick Birdsong at mrbirdsong@hotmail.com.