- The Florida A&M University Board of Trustees will select a search firm to find its next president on Wednesday.
- A list of 10 firms available online shows different criteria being used to select a search firm.
- Watch now to see how long the presidential search may take to complete.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Getting a closer look at the process that will find the next permanent president at Florida A&M University.
I'm Alberto Camargo your College Town neighborhood reporter.
Learning what the first steps look like and how long we might have to wait for the end of the search.
The Board of Trustees will meet Wednesday morning to select the search firm that will help find its next president.
I read through the documents to see what the board is prioritizing.
Three of the 10 search firms listed have worked with FAMU in the past.
Most have helped find a university president in the last three years.
And five of the firms have placed presidents at HBCUs.
I reached out to several trustees for more information.
Some said they were interested in telling me what they wanted in a search firm, but they were not able to speak immediately.
So I asked students.
Tyrin Williams says he wants someone who was once in his shoes as a FAMU student.
"I feel like for someone who can relate to our struggles as students, it's personal to them. And I want it to be personal to them to make change and see us be better individuals."
While Jamielle Lawson says she would accept any HBCU alum.
"HBCUs do have a core quality of looking out for their people, you know what I'm saying? Having different perspectives, I never think is wrong. It can add more flavor."
We also know the potential costs of hiring each firm.
Some list flat fees ranging from $50,000 to $180,000 — while others charge a percentage of what the next president would make in a year.
Whoever is appointed will be the 13th president in FAMU history.
But we might not know who the candidates are until spring.
That's when the search firm must give its recommendations to the board of trustees.
At FAMU, Alberto Camargo, ABC27.
