TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- The following are the excerpts concerning Florida A&M athletics that was exposed during the Board of Trustees meetings held this week at the campus. I have no personal comments on any of this except -- a collective resignation by this Board would move FAMU forward, FAST! Dr. Elmira Mangum, the first woman to serve as FAMU's president, marked her first year at the helm in April.
- Dr. Mangum acknowledged the athletics teams for their incredible run of success. Those include: Men's baseball team won the MEAC Championship and advanced to NCAA tournament for the first time in FAMU's history; Women's softball won MEAC Championship; Women's Outdoor Track and Field won MEAC Championship; Women's Cross Country Team won MEAC Championship three years in a row; and Cheerleaders won first place Co-ed Division of MEAC Championship.
- Trustees postponed signing off on a contract for new football coach Alex Wood, so that Wood and his attorney can go over more details. The contract is not expected to be a problem. Wood would be paid $200,000 annually. Trustee Lawson says they hope to have that done in the coming weeks. (Note: Florida A&M interim athletic director Nelson Townsend confirmed Alex Wood would be the next head football coach at the university on December 23, 2014. The legendary A.D. Townsend passed away on January 8, 2015. Wood and assistant coaching staff (8) have been on FAMU job for about 6 months).
- Dr. Mangum says, GPA average for all teams combined is 2.87. Men's Tennis, Women's Track and Field, Bowling and Softball all have GPAs 3.0 or higher.
- FAMU’s Chief Financial Officer Dale Cassidy said the proposed budget for athletics for 2015-16 is $8.7 million compared to last year’s approved budget of nearly $9.4 million. Donations to the athletics department are projected at $500,000 for the upcoming year, down considerably from last year’s projection of $1.2 million which never materialized. The projected budget for FAMU athletics for the next fiscal year shows a $100,000 surplus.
- As for the head of the athletic department, Dr. Mangum says a national search is underway to fill the position. They expect to conclude the search by the end of the month.
- FAMU is one of four schools that was punished in 2015 for low APR scores by the NCAA. The men’s basketball and football teams highlight the group that will sit out this post season.
- Dwayne Robinson, the interim athletic director says the school currently has only three academic advisers while most schools average four or five. The athletic department has applied to the NCAA for a $900,000 grant, which Robinson says will help with staffing issues. Our president made a decision to move the management of our budget into the university which has been a good thing," said Robinson.
- As of May 31st the athletic department has taken in $7,275,685 and spent $9,352,419. That’s a negative balance of $2,076,734. But FAMU estimates it will still finish the year in the hole between $500,000 or $750,000 after more money is taken in. That includes revenue from the MEAC conference and reimbursements from the NCAA for softball and baseball regional.
Courtesy Tallahassee Press Reports
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