FAMU President Elmira Mangum soon will be evaluated by university trustees, but on Tuesday she got an indication that all is not well with their relationship.
While her leadership style, independent decision-making and the perception that she fails to communicate with trustees all were mentioned, the bottom line is to move FAMU forward, trustees said at the conclusion of a daylong session on campus. Trustees return to the Grand Ballroom for their formal meeting Wednesday.
“The speed of the team is determined by the speed of the leader,” trustee chairman Rufus Montgomery said following the meeting. “If she un-balls her fist, we’ll be OK.”
Montgomery, who doesn’t shy away from asking the tough questions of FAMU leaders, and who expects a prompt response to his inquiries, chided Mangum for what he perceives as her disrespect for trustees. He brought up a litany of complaints to help frame his thoughts. These included her hiring decisions, her failure to promptly return calls or emails and her failure to keep them in the loop.
He brought up the fact that when Mangum recently visited China on an education mission, he wanted to know who would be in charge of the university while she was away and was told Provost Marcella David would be. But he then learned that David also was going to be away from campus.
Mangum, the first woman president in FAMU’s history, remained stoic throughout the lengthy discussion.
When asked if the remarks from board members surprised her, Mangum responded, “a little.”
“It’s the business of that board,” she said. “All I could do is receive it. It’s important to get feedback. It was important to know clearly we have to work on (the relationship). It’s not an option.
“I think we are communicating,” she continued. “They said I wasn’t. It was all about my failure.”
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