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Controversy is surrounding the search for a new president at Florida A&M University after a trusted MAGA ally was added to the pool of candidates as a late entry, per MSNBC.
Marva Johnson, a former Florida Board of Education chair with ties to Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Gov. Rick Scott, was reportedly added late to the FAMU search committee's original list of three finalists for the HBCU's next president, who were interviewed and voted on during closed sessions.
Johnson's late entry has sparked widespread concerns of a MAGA takeover of Florida A&M as she lacks college administrative experience, but has remained a DeSantis ally as his administration has undermined Black history and education in the state.
A petition against Johnson's candidacy has garnered over 10,000 signatures on Change.org. Florida's NAACP president also threatened legal action over the selection process of the HBCU's president.
Film director Will Packer, a FAMU alumnus, spoke out against the move to add Johnson to the list of candidates.
“HBCUs are under attack. MAGA is trying to take over leadership at several of our beloved institutions. Right now, FAMU is in the bullseye. Hear me loud and clear," Packer said in an Instagram post.
“Florida Republicans who sit on the presidential search committee have named Marva Johnson a finalist for the FAMU presidency. Let me tell you a little bit about Marva Johnson. She is a career lobbyist with no experience in higher education administration.”
Packer noted that his criticism of Johnson is “not just about her being a staunch Republican." However, FAMU can't allow a “hostile takeover by someone who is aligned with a party that has loudly and proudly espoused ideologies that attack diversity and diverse institutions, attack equitable economics, and attack inclusive principles," the director said.
The Florida Board of Governors, the governing body for the state's universities, will make the final decision on FAMU's president.
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