A Florida judge has put an end to a monthlong controversy at South Florida’s only historically Black university, ruling a former board trustee is the institution’s next president.
Florida Memorial University found itself in the news when Brandon K. Dumas, the now-former chairman of Florida Memorial University’s board of trustees, alleged that “rogue” board members had unethically elected William McCormick Jr. as the 15th president of the university.
McCormick has over 32 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and health care industries, according to the United Negro College Fund. He does not have previous experience leading a college.
Founded in 1879, the Baptist-affiliated university serves over 1,100 students in Miami Gardens, a majority Black community, according to the Institute of Education Sciences. In June 2024, Jaffus Hardrick resigned as the university’s president after five years in the role. McCormick, who was on the board of trustees and a former board chair, stepped in as the interim president following Hardrick’s departure.
On Monday, a judge denied Dumas’ request for a temporary injunction filed in August.
“At the heart of this lawsuit are two contradictory positions regarding who was and is the Chairperson of FMU’s Board,” Judge Javier Enriquez said in the decision. “On the other hand, Defendants have proffered evidence demonstrating that Defendant Walter Weatherington not only currently holds the position as Chairman of the Board, but that he also officially held that position during the meetings referenced in [Dumas]’s Verified Complaint.”
The feud comes just months after Florida Memorial’s probation was lifted. In 2021, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges put the university on “probation for good cause.” The commission cited financial reasons, aging facilities, and a decline in enrollment, according to the then-university president, Hardrick. The probation was lifted this summer, the university announced in June.
In his complaint, Dumas claimed the meeting where McCormick was elected should not have been held, according to the board of trustees’ bylaws.
“The bylaws dictate how meetings of the board of trustees are to be called,” Dumas said. “Only the chairman of the board or a majority of its members collectively can call a board meeting.”
On a Sunday evening in August, Dumas said neither of those conditions was met when a board member sent a link to members to vote on whether McCormick should permanently take on the role of university president at Florida Memorial, according to the filed complaint.
“I was not going to join that meeting and give credibility to their actions,” Dumas told Capital B.
The board, made up of 16 members, was split on two different occasions during the night of the president’s election. Eight members were attending the meeting called by the “rogue” employees, while seven other members were on a call with Dumas.
Despite the split vote, the judge still denied Dumas’ request to halt what Dumas described as “unsanctioned” meetings.
Capital B reached out to Weatherington and McCormick, but they did not respond for comment.
The decision also determined that Weatherington is the rightful board chair, legitimizing McCormick’s election. McCormick is now the first Florida Memorial alumnus to hold the position.
Dumas said he was not listed as the board’s chairman on the website despite being elected earlier this year in May.
In the complaint, Dumas included confirmation that he was in good standing, according to the board’s treasurer.
Dumas was appointed by the president of the National Baptist Convention, the largest predominantly Black religious denomination in the United States, in 2020. Each board member is required to donate a gift or raise at least $10,000 a year in connection with service to remain on the board.
Dumas’ financial contributions are supported by the National Baptist of Convention of America and their estimated $100,000 gift toward the university, he said.
Almost a week after the election of the new president, Dumas was sent a notice that he had been removed from the board due to his financial standing.
Across the country, HBCU presidents are resigning from their positions. Recently, Howard University’s president resigned after just two years in the role. Spelman College and Jackson State University are also in search of a new president.
