Montford loud in seeking Rattler votes, but quiet on threat to FAMU’s engineering programs

State Sen. Bill Montford in the 2013 FAMU Homecoming Parade

State Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, hasn’t been shy about asking for Rattler votes. When homecoming season rolls around, he’s quick to put on Orange & Green clothes, wave at FAMU fans during the downtown parade, and tell everyone how much he cares about the university.

This has helped his political career. Back during his reelection bid in 2012, the FAMU Grand Ballroom precinct (#1309) contributed 1930 votes to his victory. The Florida State University campus precinct at Salley Hall (#2503) only gave him 553 votes.

But despite all of his talk about wanting to look out for FAMU, Montford was very quiet during the recent Florida Senate debate over the future of the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering.

On Thursday, April 3, state Sen. John E. Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, introduced a proposal to give FSU its own independent College of Engineering. He says that FAMU can keep the current facility in Innovation Park and the annual operational budget of $10.9M. But the problem is that the current operational money doesn’t include the costs for 36 faculty positions that are necessary to run the five academic departments of the E-College.

Those 36 E-College professors are employed at FSU because the Florida Legislature gives that university a special $5M recurring appropriation for to support additional faculty positions. Thrasher hasn’t proposed one cent to permit FAMU to conduct any replacement hiring for those positions. If FAMU doesn’t receive the money to replace all of the FSU faculty members who leave during the split, then it might not be able to meet the Accreditation Board for Engineering Technology (ABET) accreditation requirements for all of the current degree programs.

Thrasher’s proposal would also leave FAMU with an E-College facility that needs millions in critical renovations while giving FSU a brand new state-of-the-art complex.

When the Florida Senate debated Thrasher’s budgetary amendment, Montford was tight-lipped. He did not come to aid of FAMU alumna and Senate Democratic Leader Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa, as she demanded fair treatment for FAMU on the chamber’s floor.

Right now, Montford is failing the test of leadership. If he supports the E-College split, then he should be out fighting to make sure that FAMU receives the faculty replacement hiring money it needs to actually maintain an ABET-accredited College of Engineering, something that does not appear to be a concern for Thrasher. Montford also should not want FAMU to get the short-end-of-the-stick in engineering facilities.

FAMU President Elmira Mangum says that the university needs $100M to construct a new engineering building on its main campus and $15M in annual recurring funds to secure an adequate amount of personnel for an independent E-College.

Does Montford support those critical financial necessities for an independent FAMU College of Engineering? Or, does he not care about them?

If Montford continues to remain silent, then Rattlers will have their answer.

Editor's note: This post contains corrects made on April 20, 2014.