By Noni Haynes
TALLAHASSEE, FL —It was a rushed, disorganized nine-minute press conference. Reporters had no location, and many were excluded. Nonetheless, the Florida A&M University President in waiting was anxious to make her case. After months of unprecedented opposition, Marva Johnson was pushing back.
The press availability was an opportunity to put a positive spin on her ability to deliver for FAMU. The former lobbyist was giddy as she boasted, “For the first time, we’ll be bringing home a historic level of funding.” Johnson gushed praise and thanks to the Republican legislature and Governor Ron DeSantis for the appropriation of $65.5 million.
But the funding level was far from historic. Three years ago, Johnson’s predecessor, Larry Robinson, brought in over $70 million. Also playing a role in securing this year’s appropriation is one of the nation’s powerhouse lobbying firms, Ballard Partners, which has been a FAMU ally for eleven years. Even though Johnson was not a registered FAMU lobbyist, she said the extended legislative session allowed her to get involved, “to give us a little bit more time to work through and negotiate key budget priorities.” Those budget items have been in the queue for a while and are often paid over time. The FAMU-FSU College of Engineering $40 million in capital outlay for a building, which the institutions shared. The $15 million recurring performance-based funding method, initiated by Larry Robinson, left an actual increase of over $10 million for the College of Law and the College of Agricultural and Food Sciences. Johnson dashed out of the press conference without taking questions.
That extra funding is small compared to the hundreds of millions of dollars awarded to the state’s 11 other universities. Johnson has touted her ability to influence Republican lawmakers as her primary asset, which is a credible talking point. But the opposition to her presidency is such a historic phenomenon, penetrating the resistance without a legion of trusted Rattlers will be a difficult task.
Alumna Kim Goodwin, the former President of ABC News, put a finer point on passion for FAMU. “The Marva alliance, though small, is a dangerous crew. They are traitors, not heroes. That’s the first problem. Our souls are not for sale. The soul of our university is not for sale. Anyone who is a true Rattler understands that.”
Board of Trustees Vice Chairman Deveron Gibbons, a leading supporter, is trying to make peace. “It’s time for us to come together and work together,” Gibbons said. “We can no longer talk about being under resourced, not having the proper appropriations and not getting what we deserve out of the state budget and other places. That’s what this president-elect will bring to the table, along with my vice-chair elect Mike White and the rest of the Board of Trustees.”
The public relations push to reinvent Marva Johnson seems to be struggling. So far, it consists of two newspaper columns by conservative White men lecturing the Black community, an interview with the local newspaper that offered no specifics on FAMU’s future, and the press conference.
Johnson begins interviewing current executive staff and the leadership team members this week. She officially becomes president on August 1st, which is the day of summer commencement and the start of the university’s busiest time of the year.