President James Ammons appoints search committee with little representation. The search committee for the new vice president of student affairs has only one person from student affairs. The chair of the search committee, William J. Hudson Jr. said “the committee was handpicked by President Ammons and he wanted the committee to be diverse and represent different areas of the campus.” The previous VP of student affairs, Roland Gaines, who retired from the university in June, also gave recommendations for the search committee.
Ammons met with the staff from the department of student affairs and announced the chair and its members. Student Affairs consists of housing, student health services, university registrar, student activities and student government association. Marcia Boyd is the only person from the department of student affairs to join the committee. She is currently serving as the associate vice president for student affairs, enrollment management.
“The goal for the search committee is to be diverse which is why there is representation from student accounts, student government association, housing and auxiliary,” said Hudson.
Hudson is also acting vice president of student affairs until a permanent vice president has been named for that position. Hudson, who received his bachelor’s degree in psychology and master’s degree in counseling education from FAMU, is not an applicant for the position. Out of the 80 applicants approximately four of them are employees of the university. “The goal is to have a vice president of student affairs before the end of the fall semester.” said Hudson.
Two students serve on the search committee, SGA Vice President, Breyon Love and Alexis Caldwell. “I am looking for some background in higher education, success in the position, leadership skills and a dedication to the students at FAMU, housing student affairs, and must be diverse in experience,” said Love. Student government is using Facebook and FAMUinfo online to keep students informed on the progress of filling the position.
“We are working hard as a search committee to find the best person for the job and is innovative to tackle the needs of the student body,” said Love, who serves as the students’ voice on the search committee. “I am excited to serve on the committee and working hard to bring a great candidate to the campus. “
The committee has been meeting since June. “We met with human resources and the attorney general’s office to make sure that we were following all rules in the selection of the next vice president of student affairs.” said Hudson.
Each applicant will be ranked according to the qualifications set by the department of human resources. All candidates will be based on the same criteria.
“We are looking for candidates who are knowledgeable of student affairs, great experience, possess leadership qualities and have a love for the students at FAMU,” said Hudson.
Hudson said the three finalists will be invited to the school for a tour and interviews by students, faculty and staff. The student representatives will ask the finalists questions from the student body.
“This will be a long process, selecting a viable candidate. There are over 80 applications and each application is over 12 pages long. It will take time to choose candidates that meet all the qualifications,” said Dee Cotton, assistant controller and member of the search committee.
Search committee meetings are open to the public and students will be allowed to ask questions to the candidate.