- Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor is hosting a town hall on Wednesday as he calls for transparency in the FAMU presidential search.
- The finalists will have campus visits and final interviews next week.
- Watch now to hear what Proctor is hoping to see in terms of community turnout.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The process to find the next president of Florida A&M University has been far from smooth, and it's hitting yet another hurdle this time with public opinion.
I'm Alberto Camargo, your College Town neighborhood reporter.
I'm learning why some alumni and community members are calling for the search to start over with more transparency, but also why that may not be possible.
FAMU has released the names and resumes of the four finalists its trustees will consider.
Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor, who is also an associate professor at FAMU, says three of the candidates have extensive experience in high education, but one stands out to him for not having that experience.
Proctor said he's heard from enough neighbors concerned with this list of finalists, that he felt the need to call for a town hall Wednesday.
"It matters not the quantity, but the quality and the substance of what objections are being raised, and that is that this process has lacked integrity."
A schedule for each candidate to visit campus next week has been posted on FAMU's presidential search webpage.
Each day will start with final interviews with trustees, before touring campus and meeting with faculty, staff, students, and the alumni community in the evening.
In a statement, the search committee chair Deveron Gibbons has called the process transparent and inclusive, saying, "I'm grateful to my fellow trustees, who have approached this process with integrity and care every step of the way. Their commitment has been instrumental in stewarding a process that reflects the values and aspirations of the FAMU community."
If you're interested in attending the town hall, it will start at 6:30 Wednesday evening and run until 8 p.m. here at Bethel AME Church just south of FAMU's campus.
I asked FAMU if any school leaders will be in attendance, but they could not give me an immediate answer.
At FAMU, Alberto Camargo, ABC27.
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