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Miami Herald
6 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
FAMU's plan to pay Marva Johnson depends on state budget
The question of how Florida A&M University (FAMU) will pay incoming President Marva Johnson now depends on the state budget. FAMU Foundation Pauses Budget Talks As reported by WCTV, the FAMU Foundation has paused its budget review. The Foundation was working to find money for Johnson's contract. A Monday meeting to discuss the issue was canceled, according to the meeting notice. On Tuesday, WCTV shared a statement from FAMU Foundation Executive Director Anthony Neal. He said the meeting was canceled because of a "legislative provision regarding the President-Elect's salary." New Budget Provision Offers Flexibility The provision is part of Senate Bill 2502, which lawmakers passed last week. It gives FAMU's Board of Trustees the power to use available reserves and old balances to pay the president's salary. The money cannot come from the state's General Revenue Fund or from tuition and fees. WCTV reported that the provision was added to the bill on June 14. This was eight days after the FAMU Board of Trustees approved Johnson's contract. Contract Details and Funding Gap Johnson's contract includes a base salary of $650,000 per year. She is also eligible for extra bonuses and incentives that could total hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. The state can pay up to $200,000 toward her annual salary. The FAMU Foundation must cover the rest. The Foundation had previously approved only $388,562 for the president's pay, leaving a shortfall. A Possible Solution for FAMU The new budget provision could solve this issue. If Governor Ron DeSantis signs the bill without vetoing the provision, Florida A&M can use reserves to pay Johnson's full contract. This could prevent the Foundation from cutting other positions or projects. The governor has until June 30 to approve or veto the budget. According to Neal, the Foundation will meet again later to review its budget if needed. A new meeting date has not been announced yet. The post FAMU's plan to pay Marva Johnson depends on state budget appeared first on HBCU Gameday. Copyright HBCU Gameday 2012-2025
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
FAMU presidency controversy continues into contract conversation
A brick sign welcomes visitors to the Florida A&M campus in Tallahassee. (Photo by Jay Waagmeester/Florida Phoenix) Controversy continues to swirl around the president designate of Florida A&M University with the latest dispute over Marva Johnson's five- year contract and how she will earn her pay. FAMU Board of Trustees Chair Kristin Harper said Friday Johnson's contract puts the university at odds with the FAMU Foundation, which is responsible for providing most of the money in the contract. That's because state law caps state contributions at $200,000 annually for presidential salaries. FAMU Foundation's board chair said it could not afford a $750,000 base salary, the Tallahassee Democrat reported, which is what Johnson requested. The FAMU Foundation anticipated the new president's salary would be $588,562, Harper said, reading from a letter from the foundation. The contract says the board 'shall use its best efforts to cause the foundation to contribute to the university portions of all payments' beyond $200,000. That language concerns Harper, who said she is not sure trustees have the ability to make the foundation, a direct support organization of the university, do anything. 'I have concerns about the burden, the financial burden that this places on the university and the university's inability to fund this sweetheart deal of sweetheart deals,' Harper said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX There was significant pushback among alumni to Johnson's candidacy much of which was centered around Johnson's political connections to former Gov. Rick Scott and Gov. Ron DeSantis. Alumni also cited the lack of higher education administration experience as a reason to reject. Johnson. Despite the opposition the FAMU Board of Trustees voted 8-4 last month to select Johnson its next president. Harper voted against selecting Johnson. After the trustees approved Johnson, the board voted to put FAMU trustee Nicole Washington in charge of negotiating the contract. At the time, Harper said she was offended. The pick to run Florida's only public HBCU is an ally to top Florida Republicans On Friday Washington disagreed with Harper's assessment about the foundation's ability to pay. 'It's my understanding that the foundation will be required to amend their budget to accommodate this expense,' Washington said. 'Required is quite a strong word,' Harper replied. Washington on Friday stood by the contract she negotiated, which was ultimately approved with an 8-3 vote. 'I compare this process to, similar to, buying a house. I still regret not buying a house back in 2017 when the median home price in Florida was $237[,000]. In 2025, that median price is $389,400, a 60% increase. The market has changed,' Washington said, calling the contract 'competitive yet balanced.' Johnson is yet to be approved by the Board of Governors. If approved, her contract would take effect Aug. 1. Total compensation would be about $840,000 in the first year and rises up to about $981,000 in the final year. Comparing the contract to other historically Black colleges and universities, the FAMU contract rises above the average HBCU contracts that search consultants evaluated of $446,094. The average of other institutions with a similar research capacity as FAMU is $617,021, according to consultants. Trustee Craig Reed took issue with the size of the contract compared to former President Larry Robinson, whose total salary was $591,669 in his last year. 'I find it highly difficult to approve a contract that significantly exceeds, essentially, what we paid our previous president that had significant experience as a sitting president and as a faculty member in a higher ed institution,' Reed said. Compared to other State University institutions, FAMU's package would land it below the 50th percentile in the first year, which is $899,644. The contract also provides Johnson a spot as a faculty member at the FAMU college of law after her presidency. One concern voiced by some trustees and a pack of people during public comment, was whether the contract prioritizes retention rather than performance. The five-year contract would start Johnson at a base salary of $650,000 with a 3% annual increase. The contract provides annual performance compensation of $86,000, if the board deems her performance worthy. For comparison, the recently negotiated University of Florida contract would've provided Santa Ono with a 20% performance bonus. Johnson's performance bonus would be approximately 13% of her salary. Her contract provides a $150,000 annual retention payment, able to be cashed out after the three and five-year marks. The retention bonus would be approximately 23% of her annual base salary. 'I'm just concerned, you know, about what matters more to this board: Occupying a seat or delivering outcomes for student success?' Harper said, adding that she would prefer that performance and retention were swapped. Trustee Zayla Bryant, a student, stood with Harper. 'And with that only being less than half of what her retention payment would be, I feel like that sets a clear standard or sets a clear indicator that her presence is more important than her performance,' Bryant said. But Washington countered that the two are intertwined. 'It's interesting that you see that as an 'either or.' I see that as a 'both and.' In order for the president to remain for three years would require that she has performed over that time,' Washington responded, adding that 'This is not a contract that anybody is going to get just for sitting in the seat.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
FAMU Foundation Board will meet to discuss, vote on Marva Johnson's compensation package
As Florida A&M University finds itself on the cusp of a President Marva Johnson-era despite public outcry, her salary package is up for discussion. The FAMU Foundation's board of directors will meet at 2 p.m. May 30 to discuss and vote on Johnson's compensation package, with the meeting being held both in person in Frisco, Texas, and virtually via Zoom. The meeting comes during the FAMU National Alumni Association's annual convention that began May 28 and will end June 1, also in Frisco, with the theme 'One FAMU: Stronger Together.' The foundation board's scheduled meeting also comes two weeks after the university's Board of Trustees selected Johnson and approved a $450,000 to $750,000 salary range following the compensation recommendation of FAMU's presidential search committee. At the same time, Johnson – group vice president at Charter Communications – asked for a $750,000 base salary in her application, where she left out how much she currently makes in her position at the internet and cable TV giant. At the University of Florida, President Santa Ono is set to receive a five-year compensation package worth up to $15 million, making him one of the highest-paid public university presidents in the country. While the state of Florida contributes a compensation amount of $250,000 to the total salary of its university presidents, it is up to the universities to come up with the rest of the money for their institution leader. But presidential search committee members, including FAMU Foundation board chair Lisa LaBoo, have said the university can't afford Johnson's request, which is over $150,000 more than the $591,000 yearly salary in which former President Larry Robinson ended his seven-year presidential term, which included his $451,711 base salary plus incentives and benefits. In addition, the university's Foundation – which had an investment value of $171.9 million as of September and contributes to the president's salary – recently began helping to fund FAMU men's basketball coach Charlie Ward's compensation following the approval of his five-year contract worth $975,000, and it also covers a portion of other coach salaries. 'With that being said, that's a lot,' LaBoo said in a May 13 search committee meeting, referring to an increased presidential salary. Frustrations have run high lately as students, alumni and others in the community continue to condemn what they see as a lack of transparency in the process and political influence in Johnson's selection, which many are hoping to put a stop to as the Board of Governors looks to confirm her appointment in a June 18 meeting. As the FAMU Foundation board of directors gets ready to discuss and vote on the presidential salary package, FAMU trustee Nicole Washington, who voted for Johnson, was given the authority to negotiate a contract with her − breaking the usual procedure of the Board of Trustees' chair taking on the task. If the compensation range's high end of $750,000 is approved, it would include Johnson's base pay as well as incentives such as bonuses, retirement, housing and car allowances. Individuals can tune into the board's May 30 meeting via Zoom at Tarah Jean is the higher education reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat, a member of the USA TODAY Network – Florida. She can be reached at tjean@ Follow her on X: @tarahjean_. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU Foundation Board to meet for a vote on salary for Marva Johnson
