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Florida A & M University President Elmira Magnum refused to answer questions today after her Board of Trustees took two failed votes to fire her a week ago. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, one high profile alum thinks the those who wanted to fire the President should step down.

Elmira Mangum was chosen as FAMU’s first female President in January 2014.

“I am a change agent” she said on the day she was selected.

“Madam President” but she wouldn’t respond to our questions as she drove from campus today.

She has been quiet since the University’s Board of Trustees took two failed votes to fire her last week.

But FAMU graduate and State Senator Arthenia Joyner is now calling on the Trustees who voted to oust Mangum to themselves step down.
“She’s still the President.It’s obvious that there are some problems here” said Joyner.

While the President here gets high marks for handling the finances, many say that her problem is that she doesn’t smooze, doesn’t play the political game.

Marjorie Turnbull was on the search committee that recommended the new President.

‘We knew that there were board members, even from the first day she came on board who were opposed to her selection and were not in favor of her continuation” she told us.

Now the University is at a crossroads. One trustee resigned from the board this week. Five others terms run out at the end of the year. A sixth trustee is still serving after his term expired. All of which means the Governor and University Board of Governors can reshape the troubled governance at FAMU.
“I want to make sure that when you finish you are prepared or have a job, and that’s what I want all the trustees to focus on” said Scott after this week’s Cabinet meeting.

But former Trustee Turnbull cautions a new board could be worse than the current one if the appointments become political.

“Then you may see more of the same” she says.

The current trustees meet again in November.

After the failed votes to oust the President, the Chair of the FAMU Trustees resigned his chairmanship. He remains on the Board until his term expires in January next year.