As this week unfolds, the search for the new president of Florida A&M University, a search that has been underway for more than a year, will make tremendous improvement. According to an article in Sunday’s Tallahassee Democrat, presidency candidates will be announced by the end of this week.
With applications due Tuesday, and the names being made public Wednesday, many people are anxious as to who will be on the list. According to the Tallahassee Democrat, The Hollins Group, an executive search firm, will present eight to 10 names out of 60 of the most qualified people for approval to the FAMU presidential search committee.
The university was recently ranked the No.1 university for black students by Black Enterprise magazine, so there should be no reason why FAMU will not recruit the most qualified presidential candidates.
Although FAMU has had enrollment problems and four leaders in the past five years, people should not think that FAMU is a lost cause. The university has been recovering and will continue to be a great institution of higher learning.
As the search committee reviews presidential applications this week, and the FAMU Board of Trustees reviews the candidates for approval Dec. 7, it is imperative that they keep the people most effected by the process – the students – in mind.
Katrelle Simmons for the Editorial Board.