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Top education leader demands FAMU president be held accountable
ORLANDO, Fla. — One of the most powerful education leaders in Florida wrote a harshly worded letter to the Florida A&M University Board of Trustees on Monday in which he demanded university President James Ammons be held accountable for a “number of serious issues†confronting the university.
The letter from Dean Colson, chairman of the Board of Governors, which oversees the State University System, came on the same day that Ammons announced a series of reforms he will present to the trustees this week to prevent hazing in the wake of drum major Robert Champion’s death last fall.
Though Colson alluded to the Board of Governors’ ongoing investigation into FAMU’s handling of the hazing scandal, he also outlined other “matters that have arisen or persisted this past year that should be included in Dr. Ammons’ (job) evaluation.â€
They include:
— The 100 ineligible people who were on the roster of the university’s famous marching band last year. Among those 100 were 60 who performed at the Florida Classic in Orlando on Nov. 19 — three of whom are charged in connection with Champion’s beating death that evening.
— The administration’s response to whistle-blower complaints regarding more than a dozen “fraudulent audit summaries†submitted to the board of trustees last year.
— FAMU’s response to reported sexual assaults of minors at FAMU’s Developmental Research School on the Tallahassee campus. In one case, an 8-year-old boy reported that an 18-year-old student molested him in a school bathroom in May 2011 at the school that serves children in kindergarten through grade 12.
— Issues raised by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which accredits FAMU.
Several of the concerns Colson raised were outlined in an Orlando Sentinel article May 27 in which state Sen. David Simmons, R-Maitland, called for a broad review of FAMU’s entire operation in the wake of the hazing scandal and the university’s financial troubles.
Simmons, who serves on the Senate committee overseeing higher-education spending, told the Sentinel that an outside group needs to investigate FAMU and report back to Gov. Rick Scott, the Board of Governors and the Legislature.
Belle Wheelan, with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, told the Sentinel that she had some of the same concerns. The accrediting agency, she said, would be sending a letter to FAMU seeking answers about the financial problems.
Solomon Badger, chairman of the FAMU board of trustees, could not be reached for comment Monday night.
Top education leader demands FAMU president be held accountable
ORLANDO, Fla. — One of the most powerful education leaders in Florida wrote a harshly worded letter to the Florida A&M University Board of Trustees on Monday in which he demanded university President James Ammons be held accountable for a “number of serious issues†confronting the university.
The letter from Dean Colson, chairman of the Board of Governors, which oversees the State University System, came on the same day that Ammons announced a series of reforms he will present to the trustees this week to prevent hazing in the wake of drum major Robert Champion’s death last fall.
Though Colson alluded to the Board of Governors’ ongoing investigation into FAMU’s handling of the hazing scandal, he also outlined other “matters that have arisen or persisted this past year that should be included in Dr. Ammons’ (job) evaluation.â€
They include:
— The 100 ineligible people who were on the roster of the university’s famous marching band last year. Among those 100 were 60 who performed at the Florida Classic in Orlando on Nov. 19 — three of whom are charged in connection with Champion’s beating death that evening.
— The administration’s response to whistle-blower complaints regarding more than a dozen “fraudulent audit summaries†submitted to the board of trustees last year.
— FAMU’s response to reported sexual assaults of minors at FAMU’s Developmental Research School on the Tallahassee campus. In one case, an 8-year-old boy reported that an 18-year-old student molested him in a school bathroom in May 2011 at the school that serves children in kindergarten through grade 12.
— Issues raised by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which accredits FAMU.
Several of the concerns Colson raised were outlined in an Orlando Sentinel article May 27 in which state Sen. David Simmons, R-Maitland, called for a broad review of FAMU’s entire operation in the wake of the hazing scandal and the university’s financial troubles.
Simmons, who serves on the Senate committee overseeing higher-education spending, told the Sentinel that an outside group needs to investigate FAMU and report back to Gov. Rick Scott, the Board of Governors and the Legislature.
Belle Wheelan, with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, told the Sentinel that she had some of the same concerns. The accrediting agency, she said, would be sending a letter to FAMU seeking answers about the financial problems.
Solomon Badger, chairman of the FAMU board of trustees, could not be reached for comment Monday night.
