Search committee gets ready for trustee meeting and presidential search

In an effort to be more prepared for the university’s Board of Trustees meeting in June, the university Presidential Search Committee is finishing the procedures to begin the presidential search.

The Rev. R. B. Holmes Jr., presidential search committee chairman, told the search committee the search “has to be very methodical with setting up this process.”

Holmes said the committee will “procrastinate” in order to ensure that the procedures are done right. “We want to take our time” because the committee is trying to “nail down” the process Holmes said.

Although the presidential search committee is in the process of finding a new president, Student Government Association President Ramon Alexander said Interim President Castell V. Bryant has done a good job so far.

“Castell has helped usher in a worldwind of accountability,” Alexander said. He said she has done “more than enough” for the university as interim president.

“We need to find a qualified individual as fast as possible, but not rush the process,” Board of Trustee member Alexander said. Alexander believes the next president should embrace where FAMU needs to go.

He also said the president should have a strong relationship with the students as well as the local, state and national government. Alexander also thinks the next university president should be able to see “the bigger picture,” and have a vision that everyone else can follow.

“We do not need a person who is trying to get their feet wet,” Alexander said.

Holmes said at this point, the search committee has not started taking applications for the presidential position. The process and procedures needed to select the next president should be completed by the next board meeting, which will be held on June 28.

“We will then have a road map to help identify quality candidates for Florida A&M University,” Holmes said. Until then, the search committee is trying to nail down the process, Holmes said.

The presidential search committee will have help in selecting the next president. Holmes said identifying a search fund to find a candidate that fits the BOT criteria is on their agenda. “We will bring in a professional search fund to help search the country for the best and brightest individuals,” Holmes said.

The fund, which the presidential search committee will use, will be identified at the meeting in June, Alexander said. He said the proposal will then be sent to the Board of Governors in August.

Holmes acknowledged the presidential search will be a “timely process.”

He also said that even though the presidential search is timely, the committee is making progress.

“We are going to get there by the end of the day,” Holmes said. The search committee will find the strongest and most capable applicants, but he said it will “take time to do it right.”

“We will come up with a bulletproof process to find the candidate who will become the tenth president of Florida A&M University,” Holmes said. The presidential search committee will have meetings to finalize the search process by June.

The committee will be having their next meeting April 12. This meeting will be held to obtain any questions regarding the presidential search’s processes and procedures.

Wesley Martin contributed to this story.

Contact Anthony Anamelechi at famuannews@hotmail.com