Florida A&M University is proposing a $650,000 salary for its new president, Marva Johnson. According to a proposed contract posted on the school's website, Johnson's salary would be $150,000 more than her predecessor was making, and comes with a 3% annual raise, housing and car allowance, along with a faculty position at the FAMU College of Law after the end of her presidency, with some exceptions.
The figure is $100,000 less than Johnson asked. Trustees initially approved a salary range of $450,000-$750,000.
The posted salary offer comes after the Florida A&M University Foundation postponed approval of a bigger budget for Johnson. The board met Friday to discuss her compensation package amid ongoing backlash to her selection and ahead of her confirmation vote by the Florida Board of Governors.
Johnson was named FAMU President by the school’s trustees earlier this month. The move was immediately derided by supporters, watchers, and alumni. Johnson is a lobbyist for Charter Communications. She has deep ties to the state’s Republican leadership. While she has served on the Florida Board of Education, which oversees K-12 public schools and colleges, she has no experience operating within academia. This, coupled with a cloudy search process, has raised red flags among many FAMU faithful and the fight over the future of FAMU is echoing in Washington D.C.
“This particular individual appears deeply unqualified…to carry out the mission of Florida A&M University. And it is my suspicion that she will not last long at the institution. She will be a failure," U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said recently after being questioned about FAMU by a reporter.
A trustee on FAMU's board who voiced concerns about Johnson’s last-minute addition to the finalist list was removed and another was installed a day before the final vote. The DeSantis administration also played a role in Johnson’s selection, further fueling distrust as the governor continues his anti-woke, anti-DEI crusade.
FAMU stakeholders fear Johnson will try to dismantle the school by giving up programs like Pharmacy, nursing and law. These programs have been criticized by the board of governors in the past over their exam passage rates. Members of the board are appointed by DeSantis.
Amid it all, two resistance camps are taking root; one side is mulling how to negotiate and work with Johnson. The other is preparing to continue fighting her confirmation.
“People like you, myself, others stand up. Show courage. Others will see it, and that will build momentum," said Lawrence Humphries, a member of FAMU's Foundation board.
The financials of Johnson’s original salary proposal come at a time of increasing financial concerns for FAMU. Under state law, the state will only pay salaries for presidents up to $200,000. Anything above that amount has to come from private money. Fundraising is down significantly and the school must still meet current obligations—like fulfilling interim president Tim Beard’s contract, the remaining salary for Robinson, and the addition of new a new athletics director and head basketball coach. Foundation Board members like Monica Williams-Harris pushed back strongly on Johnson’s original ask.
"I understand what the ask is, I understand what the range of salary is, but I think I we’re going to be good stewards of the money, there’s a different way to do this without allocating over half a million dollars to presidential compensation when we have faculty members who are complaining they’re not getting paid enough," she said.
The board previously approved funding around $388,000 toward a presidential salary. Members are awaiting the official proposal from Trustees, which dropped Monday, in addition to other budget asks from other departments across campus.
As a final vote by the Florida Board of Governors nears, the fight over Johnson continues. The Foundation still has to approve the money. And if she makes it past those two hurdles, Humphries says she’ll still have to face a hostile campus that does not want her.
“When I say she won’t survive, I think that it’s difficult to go into an environment where it's hostile towards you. The hostility is in the air, even if people aren’t outwardly hostile, but you feel it, you sense it, the stress that comes along with that. You’ve got to go home, you don’t feel good about what you’re doing. Next thing you know, you’re arguing with your family, you’re kicking the dog, and that is draining. And at some point, or someone who has been as successful as she has in the private sector, you have to ask yourself, is it worth it?”
Only Johnson can answer that.
