- FAMU presidential candidate Marva Johnson was met with hostile crowd at a Wednesday evening meet-and-greet.
- FAMU alumni and stakeholders questioned Johnson's qualifications and political influence.
- Watch now to hear how Johnson responded to the crowd and where she stands with the FAMU community.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A full house and hostile environment met Marva Johnson as she met with FAMU alumni and stakeholders Wednesday
"I hope the Board of Trustees heard loud and clear. We have three overqualified candidates. There is nothing she is bringing. Why would you not listen to your constituents?"
I'm Alberto Camargo, your College Town neighborhood reporter.
Breaking down how Johnson's pitch to be FAMU's next president went over with a crowd that largely stood against her.
Johnson currently leads State Government Affairs for Charter Communications.
She says that experience would benefit FAMU in a political climate that is affecting universities at every level.
"I've had a storied history of working across the isles with legislators in every party, with leaders across multiple states across multiple levels of government in order to advocate for the things that are necessary in order to accomplish the goals of my employer."
Johnson was appointed to the Florida State Board of Education by Republican leadership.
Concerns over Johnson's ties to the party have spread so wide that Johnson tried to address the elephant in the room... but just listen to the reaction.
"So I could just go through the list of questions that I've seen, and concerns raised about me on the Internet..."
That's the sound of dozens of Rattlers in protest of Johnson as a presidential finalist, shown by them dressed not in orange and green, but in black.
High-profile stakeholders like Will Packer led a barrage of questions about how Johnson's political affiliations would not get in the way of advancing FAMU.
Alum Gabrielle Albert thinks Johnson did not handle the crowd well enough to win her over as an outside candidate.
"An outside perspective can always be helpful. However, community is important. One of our highest giving funders came out of his day, his name is on the amphitheater. You don't think he might take that off? You don't think people will stop funding? That's going to cripple the university. Is it worth it?"
The student reaction earlier in the day Wednesday was similar.
Elijah Hooks says he suspects Johnson is the frontrunner for the job, even though the community has pushed back significantly.
"FAMU wants a leader that represents us and is not a political ploy who does not have experience in higher education, but someone who represents the true values of what our mother FAMU was founded on in 1887, that's love and charity. Unfortunately, members of her party and people who are aligned with her don't represent the the values of love and charity."
FAMU's last finalist, COO Dr. Donald Palm will have his final interview and meet and greet Thursday.
Trustees will meet to nominate a candidate Friday.
At FAMU, Alberto Camargo, ABC27.
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