FAMU’s presidential search committee kicks off 'challenging' process of seeking new leader

Members of Florida A&M University's Presidential Search Committee were reminded of the high-stakes process that comes along with seeking FAMU's next leader while convening for the first time. 

The committee held a public meeting Tuesday via Zoom with over 70 people on the virtual call to kick off the search process and digest rules – such as Florida's Sunshine Law – that come along with their new roles. 

"Selecting the 13th president of Florida A&M University is a big, big, big job," FAMU Board of Trustees Vice Chair Deveron Gibbons , chair of the 15-member search committee, said at the meeting. 

With a goal of having a new FAMU president named by this summer, the committee's tentative timeline includes listening sessions throughout February, selecting candidates to conduct interviews in March and hosting campus visits in April. 

The advisory body was announced in December, and the need for it comes as FAMU searches for the next person who will take the helm of the university after former President Larry Robinson's resignation , which led to interim President Timothy Beard's appointment in August for a one-year term.

"We want to get this right the first time and we want all the input that we can get from everybody that serves on this committee, but also we want to make sure that we do it in the correct and right manner," Gibbons said. 

The committee consists of university board members – including trustees John Crossman and Natlie Figgers – Florida Board of Governors Vice Chair Alan Levine , FAMU alumni such as retired ABC News President Kim Godwin , and other university stakeholders. 

"You have a challenging but meaningful task to accomplish, and for better or worse, it is going to be in the public eye," Board of Governor Chief of Staff Rachel Kamoutsas said during a presentation on the call. "The public is watching."

Related news: FAMU board chair appoints 15 presidential search committee members. Here's who they are

Search committee is asked to be 'honest and responsible'

Florida's Sunshine Law – in place to guarantee citizen access to government meetings and public records – says that all materials made or received in connection with official business which are used to "perpetuate, communicate or formalize knowledge" are considered open to view.

Kamoutsas highlighted that under the Sunshine Law, individuals on the search committee are not allowed to communicate with other board members about board business outside of a public meeting, which includes no text messages, emails, or phone calls. 

Godwin asked for clarification about conversations between members and representatives of the university's  executive search firm Myers McRae outside of the committee's meetings, which is allowed since the firm plays a staff role. 

Myers McRae was selected by FAMU trustees last month after two failed attempts to make a selection, which delayed the search process. The Georgia-based firm will assist the committee members in identifying and recruiting candidates for the university's next president. 

More: FAMU trustees pick presidential search firm after delays, hearing responses about DEI

"We take everybody's knowledge of the institution," Myers McRae President Kenny Daugherty told committee members in the meeting. "Whether you've worked with it, you're working there, or you're an alum, you see the institution through a different set of eyes, and that's important." 

FAMU's interim General Counsel Shira Thomas also shared information regarding a nondisclosure agreement committee members are required to sign prior to tasks such as vetting and recommending candidates. She says it includes an oath to being "fair, accurate, honest and responsible" in managing information during the search process. 

"A lot of people care deeply about decisions we're going to make and what we're going to recommend," Levine said. 

With the Board of Governors having a tighter oversight on presidential search processes within the State University System following a recently amended regulation , trustees are required to present their final list of applicants to the governing board's chair, Brian Lamb , for review and approval before proceeding.  

The trustees will then interview the finalists and select the university's next president, which will also be subject to the Board of Governors' approval. 

"As a committee that was very specifically chosen based on everybody's different competencies and background, the Board (of Governors) is ultimately going to really rely on us to give them some great finalists," Levine said. 

Under a state law passed in 2022 , the identities of applicants for the position are shielded from the public until they become finalists, which is meant to encourage more qualified candidates to apply. 

In addition, search committee member Eisenhower Etienne – a FAMU professor of Operations Supply Chain Management Information Systems & Operations Management at the School of Business and Industry – asked if the search will be restricted to the U.S. The answer was no. "Our reach is international," Daugherty said. 

A presidential search webpage was launched on FAMU's website Tuesday to give the community an opportunity to contribute their input on the search. Individuals can also provide feedback on the site regarding suggested priorities and challenges a new president should consider. 

Draft of committee's timeline for search process 

• Jan. 23: Profile and advertising approved 

• Jan. 14–March 1: Conduct listening sessions 

• March 14: Deadline for best consideration of candidates 

• March 20: Selection of candidates for first round interviews 

• March 27: First round interviews begin 

• April 7–11: Campus visit dates

Contact Tarah Jean at  tjean@tallahassee.com  or follow her on X:  @tarahjean_ .

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU presidential search committee starts process with first meeting