By Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN

(CNN) — Marva Johnson, a telecommunications executive, will become the 13th president of Florida A&M University, despite opposition from thousands of students and alumni.

The Florida Board of Governors voted Wednesday to confirm Johnson’s appointment by the FAMU board of trustees. FAMU is Florida’s only public historically Black college.

Several students and alumni spoke out during the Board of Governors meeting, receiving applause from the audience after each speech.

“To date, we do not feel heard,” Kimberly Godwin, a FAMU alumna and former president of ABC News, told the board. “Marva Johnson is not ready to lead the nation’s number one public HBCU. Ms. Johnson did not earn this. She does not have the best résumé. She did not have a good on-campus interview. She appeared unprepared and shortsighted and did not present well to our stakeholders.”

“As students, as primary stakeholders in this university, we are very concerned about the future of our university,” said Devin Nobles Jr., a computer engineering student at FAMU. “If you guys confirm this candidate, it is to reaffirm to all of us — our students, our faculty, our staff, alumni, the 18,000 people who signed a petition online — that our voices do not matter.”

Alumni groups, students and faculty members say they are largely concerned about Johnson’s work under Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration, who banned funding for diversity, equity and inclusion programs at Florida colleges and blocked advanced placement African American studies curriculum in Florida high schools.

DeSantis also signed the STOP Woke Act in 2022 which banned teachings or mandatory workplace programs that suggest a person is privileged or oppressed based on their race, color, sex or national origin. And he’s garnered criticism for signing laws that led to book bans in public schools and prohibited lessons about sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom.

Johnson acknowledged the opposition from students and alumni when she spoke during the Board of Governors meeting. Many in the audience stood with their backs to the board as members discussed and confirmed her appointment.

“My door will always be open, and I am looking forward to full engagement on campus and with our communities,” Johnson said.

Johnson said as president, she will diversify FAMU’s funding sources and work to ensure students graduate with digital fluency, adaptability, and a strong professional network.

“I am committed to leading this university to forging new paths for excellence, and preeminence, and to protect and advance FAMU’s legacy,” Johnson said.

Several Board of Governors members spoke in support of Johnson before confirming her appointment.

Member Timothy M. Cerio said he had previously worked with Johnson on another commission.

“She is a person of really keen intellect,” Cerio said. “She is tough as nails, and she is a person of great integrity.”

Elijah Hooks, a FAMU student and chief of staff for the Florida Student Association, previously told CNN that many in the FAMU community were “saddened” by the board of trustees’ decision to hire Johnson despite her ties to DeSantis.

“It’s shady that she has a lot of connections to someone like that,” Hooks said.

Elijah Hooks, a FAMU student and chief of staff for the Florida Student Association, previously told CNN that many in the FAMU community were “saddened” by the board of trustees’ decision to hire Johnson despite her ties to DeSantis.

“It’s shady that she has a lot of connections to someone like that,” Hooks said.

“There is no place for that hateful, divisive rhetoric, not at the college of love and charity,” film producer Will Packer, a FAMU alumnus, said last month in a video posted to Instagram.

Johnson served eight years on the Florida State Board of Education, first appointed by former Gov. Rick Scott in 2014 and continuing under DeSantis, who was elected in 2018, according to her resume. She was also appointed by DeSantis to the Florida Scholars Academy Board, where she oversaw education for vulnerable students, including youth in state custody or juvenile justice.

While serving on the State Board of Education, Johnson helped implement performance-based funding measures aimed at improving student success and graduation rates at state colleges, according to a FAMU news release.

“To be considered for the opportunity to lead this storied institution is the honor of a lifetime,” Johnson previously said in a statement. “I will approach this role with a bold vision — focused on student success, innovation, and national prominence — while building strong bridges with the FAMU community and honoring the legacy that makes this university so special. FAMU’s culture and impact are unmatched, and I am committed to upholding and amplifying that legacy as we move forward together.”

Johnson currently serves as a group vice president at Charter Communications.

Packer said in the Instagram video he believes Johnson’s appointment is part of a broader effort by Republicans to take over HBCUs.

“HBCUs are under attack,” Packer said. “What we cannot allow is a hostile takeover by someone who has aligned with the party that has loudly and proudly espoused ideologies that attack diversity and diverse institutions, attack equitable economics and attack inclusive principles — the exact pillars that institutions like FAMU were built up.”

President Donald Trump’s budget proposal seeks to cut $64 million in funding from Howard University, the nation’s only federally chartered historically Black university.

In March, the Trump administration took steps to dismantle the Department of Education and began demanding colleges and universities end DEI practices or risk losing federal funding.

Trump has specifically targeted Harvard, requiring the university to take steps to prevent antisemitism, stop considering race in admissions and hiring, and shut down DEI programs.

CNN has reached out to Johnson for comment.

Students and alumni protested Johnson’s candidacy by speaking out at trustee meetings, posting on social media, and circulating a Change.org petition that gathered more than 18,000 signatures.

Still, the board selected Johnson and, according to CNN affiliate WTXL, approved a five-year contract with a starting salary of $650,000.

CNN reached out to the eight board members who voted for Johnson; seven did not respond. Trustee John Crossman, who supported Johnson, declined to comment.

FAMU said in a news release that during her interview, Johnson “expressed her commitment to FAMU’s legacy as a top-tier HBCU and its rise in research, academic achievement, and social impact.”

Critics say their feedback was ignored

Some students and alumni said they felt their concerns about Johnson were ignored by the board of trustees during the presidential search and interview process.

Curtis Johnson, president of the Florida A&M University National Alumni Association, said in a May 16 letter to FAMU alumni and supporters the university community had provided feedback to the board through town halls, surveys, emails, letters, and phone calls.

Johnson noted, according to feedback forms submitted to the board, 80% of students and alumni expressed “deep concern over Ms. Johnson’s selection and qualifications.”

“What we witnessed today raises profound questions about transparency, shared governance, and whether the voices of the FAMU community are truly being heard,” Johnson wrote in the letter.

“Faculty were not formally polled. Students filled the boardroom. Alumni from across the nation engaged. Yet, the outcome ignored this collective voice.”

Lack of experience in higher education

Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor said he supports students and alumni who spoke out against Johnson’s candidacy and selection as president.

Proctor, who is also a FAMU political science instructor, said he believes the other presidential candidates were more qualified than Johnson because they had experience working in higher education.

For example, Donald Palm, who received four votes from the board, currently serves as executive director and chief operating officer at FAMU.

Johnson does not list any positions in higher education on the resume she submitted to the university.

“This is not about a low bar,” Palm said. “This is about no bar at all.”

Students worry about FAMU’s future

Ashley Bigbee, vice president of the FAMU chapter of the NAACP, said it was “disheartening” students and alumni expressed opposition to Johnson, yet the board still approved her hiring.

“We don’t know Marva’s true intentions,” Bigbee said. “The fate of the university is in someone’s hands that we are not comfortable with.”

Hooks, the FAMU student and senior adviser for the Florida Student Association, said he was concerned about possible political influence in the board’s selection of Johnson, citing an X post by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who called Johnson a “terrific selection for the university community.”

“And well done by team DeSantis and the SUS for driving this home!” Uthmeier wrote in the post. “Great result for Florida’s higher ed and next generation of leaders.”

Hooks said he is worried about the future of the campus, including the FAMU student traditions unique to Black culture.

“I feel like there are adults that have sold FAMU away for political gain or financial gain,” Hooks said. “And students don’t deserve that.”

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