FAMU has recently announced that they will begin forming a committee to select a new president when the Board of Trustees meets again on October 6.
This will certainly come as welcome news to those who have not been pleased with Castell Bryant’s approach to reforming the school. Some will be quick to herald our emergence from our troubles and be ready to move on to more stable times and lighter-handed measures.
One must wonder though if the announcement to begin searching for a replacement is not simply a concession to appease those who have criticized her tactics instead of a move made with the university’s best interests in mind.
Whatever your opinion about her methods, Bryant has announced that she will end the year in the black, one of the major tasks she was assigned. She has also succeeded in purging the university of employees who were embezzling money that should have gone towards our education.
On the other hand, there is a controversy over the legality of her hiring a vice president and provost without consulting the faculty.
Some teachers have said that they would be more than happy to be a part of her effort to fix our problems, if only she would work to include them. And she has certainly left no room for discussion or differences of opinion on her decisions.
But with crucial state accreditation approaching, is now the time to replace her? Have we already emerged from our troubles after less than a year? Is the hard work she was put into office to do already complete?
These issues should be weighed carefully. Perhaps it is time to ask her to tone down her approach, to deal with the remaining problems. If she does not think she can achieve results with a new approach it may be time to consider replac.ing her