Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University is the only public historically Black college in the state of Florida, and on May 16th, the institution selected Marva “Maga Marva” Johnson as its 13th President. The newest leader of The Highest of Seven Hills got her name in response to her close affiliation with not only Rick Scott and Ron Desantis but also Donald Trump himself. Currently, Johnson serves as the group president for Charter Communications.
The search for a new president began last year after the former President, Larry Johnson, stepped down after mishandling a fraudulent donation. After FAMU appointed the search committee, Myers McRae, the executive search firm, collected applications, and the search committee selected four finalists for consideration:
- Rondall Allen, Pharm.D. – Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, University of Maryland Eastern Shore
- Gerald Hector, CPA – Senior Vice President for Administration and Finance at the University of Central Florida
- Marva Johnson, J.D.. – Group Vice President, State Government Affairs, Charter Communications
- Donald Palm, Ph.D. – Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Florida A&M University.
According to the Tallahassee Democrat, there have been whispers that during this time, FAMU board Vice Chair Deveron Gibbons “insisted” on including Johnson after a vote during a closed session. The article went on to add that “Gibbons has denied this.”
Besides being appointed to the Florida State Board of Education in 2014, where she served for four years, Johnson’s qualifications leave much to be desired. From May 12th to May 16th, all candidates participated in on-campus interviews open to the public. By May 14th, opposition to Johnson grew with celebrity speeches, petitions, and rallies calling for her removal from consideration. Elijah Hooks sums up the issue with Maga Marva in four prongs: no experience leading a University, deep ties to DeSantis and MAGA, anti-DEI and anti-CRT beliefs, and a lack of connection to FAMU’s mission. For a distinguished HBCU, these are critical problems with an HBCU President. Ultimately, the FAMU search committee selected Marva Johnson to lead the The College of Love and Charity with a vote of 6-4.
In March, FAMU’s College of Pharmacy lost a $16.3 million federal grant—a victim of Donald Trump’s anti-DEI and anti-education policies. Perhaps this ploy to infuse Republican leadership into HBCUs is FAMU’s attempt at a survival tactic in the face of direct attacks—at whose expense? Our historically Black institutions are incubators for some of our brightest minds, for our future leaders, innovators, and creatives—and oftentimes serve as one of the few places where Black students can get support. Turning over the reigns to someone so unaligned seems like more than a misstep but a calculated insurrection.
As FAMU moves forward, we are left wondering which other institutions will be infiltrated by the current Republican administration and what is the future for FAMU.
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I recently heard FAMU referred to as the only HBCU in Florida, which confused me. There are actually four HBCUs in the state—Edward Waters, Florida Memorial, and Bethune-Cookman in addition to FAMU. I don’t believe FAMU was even the first. Is this a new marketing angle tied to their recent national attention? I’ve seen this tagline used in other places too and was just curious.
Hello! You are correct, FAMU is the only PUBLIC HBCU in Florida!
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