Last month, five candidates were interviewed by President James Ammons and his staff for the vice president for university relations position.
Anthony Holloman, Harriet Davis, Getchel Caldwell II, Thomas Haynes Jr. and Shereitte Stokes III are all waiting for the president to make a decision about which one of them will be filling the position.
“Hopefully he’ll make a decision soon,” said Sharon Saunders, interim vice president for University Relations.
Saunders has held the position since Carla Willis resigned in May after she received another position in development at Ohio State University.
Saunders said the president’s goal is to make a decision this fall on who will be placed in the position.
“We had candidates who had a strong background in fundraising,” said Saunders. “That’s going to be needed since we are about to launch our $50 million campaign.
A $50 million capital campaign is in the works for the university and the future vice president will be responsible for the initiative.
Saunders said $30 million of the funds will be set aside for student scholarships, $10 million for faculty and student development, and an unrestricted amount of $10 million will be for spending expenses.
As an alumnus of the university, Caldwell wants to give back to the university.
“I am interested in FAMU being out front,” said Caldwell.
His goal is to reach out to alumni who are in positions to assist the university financially. Caldwell has served as the vice president for advancement at Tuskegee University.
Holloman is the vice president for institutional advancement at South Carolina State University.
“I consider Florida A&M to be the premiere university,” Holloman said.
“With my experience plus the leadership of President Ammons, we could take FAMU to the next level.”
Davis, assistant vice president for corporate and foundation relations declined to comment. She said she does not want her current employer at Hampton University to be aware of her interest in the vice-president for university relations position at FAMU.