Gamble hiring leads to more FAMU trustee questions about non-advertised positions

On Wednesday, FAMU trustees raised more questions about jobs that are filled without advertisement after receiving an update on the review of the hiring process that led to Santoras “Dee” Gamble’s employment.

Gamble pleaded guilty to the felony charge of Conspiracy to Defraud the United States in 2010 and received three years of probation. He was also required to pay a restitution amount of more than $122,000. Last year, FAMU Vice-President for Communications and External Relations Jimmy Miller hired Gamble to a $75,000 “special assistant” job.

The inspector general of the Florida Board of Governors asked the university in a September 9 email: “Has there been any review of this matter to confirm that FAMU followed the background and hiring process in hiring Gamble? If so, what was the result?”

On Wednesday, FAMU Vice-President for Audit and Compliance Rick Givens gave the BOT an update on that information request.

“We found that the hiring process was followed,” Givens told the BOT.

Givens added that: “We saw some areas that could be improved…It related to the instances where the advertisement for the position is waived.” He said that “in a year there were about 30 or so” hirings that took place without advertising the jobs.

That statement led to a number of follow-up questions from FAMU trustees.

“In the case of non-advertised, who is the final signing authority?” asked Trustee Matt Carter.

Givens told him that either the president or the president’s designee is the final authority.

Trustee Robert Woody then asked: “Is there a requirement that everybody that is interested in applying for a position submit an application to HR?”

“If it’s advertised, then yes,” Givens told him. “But an application is not required in the process where advertising is waived.”

“This whole discussion opens a Pandora’s Box on nepotism,” Chairman Cleve Warren commented after Woody’s question.

An Oct. 21 story by WFSU reported that Brittanian Gamble, the wife of Dee Gamble, received a signing bonus of $5,000 from the administration. FAMU.edu lists Brittanian Gamble as the director for academic excellence at the university.

Members of President Elmira Mangum’s staff stated that they would review the current procedures regarding non-advertised jobs and report back to the BOT.

This isn’t the first time that concerns about non-advertised positions have come up among the BOT members.

Back in June 2015, then-Chairman Rufus Montgomery questioned the process that was used to create a new $130,000 salary assistant vice-president for alumni affairs and university relations job. He said Mangum didn’t advertise the position before hiring John Michael Lee.

The chairman added that the BOT might need to revise the “FAMU BOT Regulation 10.015, Recruitment, Selection, and Employment of University Faculty, Administrative and Professional, Executive Service, University Support Personnel System, and Other Personal Services Employees and, specifically, Section (2), Announcement of Vacant Positions.”

He said the rule gives the president the option “to waive the announcement of a position when a waiver is in the best interest of the University” and if it pays $200,000 or less, per year.

“We’re not involved in specific personnel decisions, but the authority to waive the announcement of a position, especially in this time when we have budget challenges, it just doesn’t make sense,” the then-chairman said.