Jolly builds trust and electability on a busy campaign trail
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FAMU SGA Pres Kayla Bryant forewarned Jolly of BOG performance-based funding problems.
By Noni Haynes
Tallahassee—The Homecoming celebration at Florida A&M University was an opportunity for David Jolly to learn from its passionate alumni and students. Jolly walked onto the FAMU “Set,” greeted by old friends and new ones. Many recognized him from his years as a political analyst on MSNBC. Still, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate has broad appeal across Florida’s diverse political landscape. That day, the former congressman was the guest of the family of former President Frederick S. Humphries, whose statue was unveiled.
With the controversy surrounding President Marva Johnson, it seemed particularly fitting to reminisce about the accomplishments of the revered Humphries. But it was a reminder of how political interference has changed the trajectory of the HBCU and four other state universities in Florida. Jolly has promised big changes to the Boards governing the state university system. “Florida needs non-partisan, facts-first reform: merit-based governance, student success metrics, and real investment in research and world-class leadership and faculty. David Jolly will align BOG/ BOT accountability to measurable outcomes that grow Florida’s economy, not culture wars,” according to Laurence Humphries. Humphries is a member of the FAMU Foundation Board of Directors and the son of Frederick Humphries.
Jolly attended the alumni luncheon and then sat down for a conversation with Student Body President Kayla Bryant and Kennedy Williams, which centered on academic excellence, the preservation of cultural identity, and the restoration of FAMU’s autonomy. “I think Florida A and M is constantly facing an uphill battle with performance-based funding, because we must accommodate a specific demographic that requires a different kind of qualifier for those subsidiary funds, ”according to Bryant. Bryant is correct because the BOG just adjusted the PBF, which makes it more difficult to increase funding. “Right now, we’re afraid that we are going to lose the culture of FAMU. Politics has begun to enter our classrooms and our learning environments on a day-to-day basis. We have people in place who have no real concern for our university. We’re realizing now that’s because they don’t have HBCU experience,” according to Williams.
Jolly’s plan to restore the academic independence and cultural integrity of the state university system resonates with FAMUans who feel they are victims of a hostile takeover. He says, “The leadership model of this governor has been, instead, to take over institutions and remake them in his ideological and political vision. One of the things I would do is immediately begin replacing most of this governor’s appointees, starting with the state university system, and return people to places that understand academic excellence. And together, by ensuring that FAMU remains the nation’s number one public HBCU we continue to create opportunities for our young people. Because you can’t be what you can’t see, right?”
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