FAMU president James Ammons under pressure following multiple scandals, no-confidence vote by board of trustees
Tampa Bay Times
June 11, 2012
Embattled FAMU president James Ammons Being a president of any university is a lot like having several different jobs at once. You're an administrator, fundraiser and politician, to name a few. At Florida A&M University, there's one more — one that for years has overshadowed all the others: Crisis manager. Today, that duty falls to James Ammons, as he works to protect FAMU from mounting public criticism amid investigations into hazing, financial troubles, accreditation issues and more.
Ammons, a FAMU alumnus and former provost, knew what he was getting into.
Since the early 2000s, leaders of FAMU have found themselves in headlines for scandals and scrutiny. Problems have ranged from missing money and late paychecks to revoked grants and the threat of lost accreditation.
Good news has often been qualified with the word "finally."
Now, on the cusp of his five-year anniversary and with a recent vote of no confidence from his own Board of Trustees, Ammons is making a promise that many have made before him — a pledge that he, himself, made the day he took the job.
