The board of Florida A&M University voted at a hastily called special meeting not to fire Elmira Mangum (right) as president. Mangum has been in office for only a year at the historically black university. And the board came within a vote of ending her tenure today.
The board first attempted to fire Mangum for cause and that vote failed, 7 to 5. The cause concerned spending on the president's home that board members said was unauthorized. But Mangum countered that the spending decisions were made before she was hired. Mangum and her supporters have repeatedly suggested that some board members have been trying to micromanage her, effectively making it impossible for her to make needed reforms in the management of the institution.
The meeting was broadcast on radio and live tweeted, so people could see board members admitting they had a poor relationship with their president, but were divided about what to do about it.
After the first vote failed, the board considered a motion to file Mangum without cause. “There have been problems and issues between the board and the administration,” said one trustee, Belinda Shannon. “However I'm not willing to place the blame of that solely at the feet of the president.”
The vote to fire her without cause failed, 6 to 6.