Earlier this month, JBHE reported on a change in leadership at Florida A&M University. The board of trustees ousted President Elmira Mangum and named Larry Robinson as interim president. Dr. Robinson had been serving as chair of the university’s Strategic Planning Task Force and is the former provost and vice president of academic affairs.
Interim President Robinson wasted no time in making changes to his leadership team. Marcella David, provost under President Mangum, was let go and replaced on an interim basis by Rodner Wright. Since 1996, Wright has served as dean of the School of Architecture and Engineering Technology at the university. Dean Wright is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati. He holds a master of architecture degree from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University.
Interim President Robinson also fired chief of staff Jimmy Miller, Elise Durham, the assistant vice president for communication, Jackie Hightower, executive assistant to the president, and Dee Gamble and John Michael Lee Jr., who were serving as presidential assistants.
This article demonstrates that sexism and patriarchy within HBCUs continues and is destructive when a woman is selected as president. FAMU was rising again in prominence but these men were so jealous and mean that they would sacrifice a student’s 4 years to run the university off of ego. Look at how this board treated their first female president who outshined and outclassed a board with very little credentials. The entire board as well as the chancellor of the Florida state system should be fired immediately not the staff who worked earnestly everyday. The words FAMU will never come out of my mouth again.
Sexism has nothing to do with this. The people fired were not qualified for their positions in the first place.