FAMU's New Leader Not Rattled By Grim Challenges At School

By CATHERINE DOLINSKI The Tampa Tribune

Published: Jun 29, 2007

TALLAHASSEE - When alumnus and former Florida A&M University Provost James Ammons accepted the post of president at his alma mater, he knew all about the fiscal and administrative problems that have dogged the school for years.

Ammons pledged to set FAMU's house in order, to repair its finances and its reputation. University leaders and alumni believed him, cheering him through the selection process and choosing him handily over all other candidates in February.

Now he has six months to make good on his promise.

Ammons formally takes over the reins at FAMU on Monday, nine days after an accrediting agency placed FAMU on a six-month probation, citing 10 counts of financial, administrative and academic failings. The announcement comes on the heels of a report from the state inspector general identifying 35 problems ranging from insufficient cash controls to failing to implement staff salary raises on time.

If FAMU loses its accreditation, its students would be denied federal financial aid. They also would have a tough time transferring credits to accredited schools or gaining admission to graduate schools. Applications to the school could plummet, further jeopardizing its finances and reputation.

Ammons Promises To Act Quickly

The new threat to FAMU's accreditation is disappointing, Ammons said Thursday during a news conference at the university's school of business.

Standing alongside university leaders, he reiterated his pledge to cure what ails the university and set an ambitious timeline in which to do it.

"We must have appropriate controls over all our financial resources," said Ammons, a former commissioner of the accrediting agency. "We must discover the systemic root of the financial problems, implement a permanent fix and institutionalize these procedures."

This will be done in the next 30 days, he said.

Bill Tucker, the university's former faculty union president, said, "We understand the threat. Ammons doesn't want to be here to turn the lights out. He knows he's got a challenge, and, hopefully, he'll have the energy and wherewithal to put a team together."

Ammons said he will develop an action plan to present to the FAMU Board of Trustees at its meeting July 11. Campus officials, he said, have developed a plan to address many of the issues outlined in the auditor general's report, and he has some strategies of his own in mind.

Ammons said he is "not here to play the blame game." Come Monday, he said, the university's problems are his own problems. The incoming president also vowed to get to the bottom of the school's problems and "hold responsible parties accountable."

"No one is larger than Florida A&M," Ammons said, drawing applause from the audience.

Situation 'Very Serious'

State university system Chancellor Mark Rosenberg recently told the Miami Herald that "we are essentially one step away" from putting FA MU's finances under state control.

A state task force has monitored the university's finances since its last blistering state audit, in March. At the task force's most recent meeting, a state auditor said the school's inspector general's office had gone 40 months without formal reports on internal investigations and that $39 million in transactions and budget amendments lacked approval of the school's Board of Trustees.

Ammons said he had not read Rosenberg's statement to the Miami Herald, but said that "Florida A&M is a public institution. But on the other hand, there is a Board of Trustees, there is an administration. We ought to have the opportunity to fix these problems and have their support in getting that done."

The Rev. R.B. Holmes, vice chairman of FAMU's Board of Trustees, was more adamant.

"There will not be a takeover," Holmes said. "We're not going there. We're going to fix it. We're determined to fix it. We have the right leader in place to fix it."

Rosenberg could not be reached Thursday. His spokesman, Bill Edmonds, said the situation at FAMU is "very serious."

"The Board of Governors is not interested in taking over FAMU's finances," Edmonds said. "But the board is ultimately responsible for each of its universities. If progress doesn't happen, then something else would have to follow."

After Thursday's news conference, state Rep. Curtis Richardson, D-Tallahassee, said he was extremely disappointed that Rosenberg would make such a remark.

FAMU "has leadership in its board of trustees, and a new president coming onboard who certainly has experience with a similar situation, and it is ready to come in with the support of the FAMU community to turn this situation around," Richardson said.

Ammons said that when he overcame similar fiscal and auditing problems as chancellor of North Carolina Central University, he learned of the critical importance of having the right staff in place.

Asked how he feels now as he faces the challenges at FAMU, Ammons said simply, "What a wonderful opportunity."

Reporter Adam Emerson contributed to this report. Reporter Catherine Dolinski can be reached at (850) 222-8382 or cdolinski@tampatrib.com.