Former Miami Dade official to lead FAMU as interim president

Black Issues in Higher Education, Dec 30, 2004

MIAMI

Forsaking her promise of enjoying the fruits of retirement after 26 years as a Miami Dade College employee and most recently Medical Center Campus president, Dr. Castell Vaughn Bryant is back at doing what earned her a stellar reputation: she has been named interim president of her alma mater, Florida A&M University (FAMU). Bryant will provide leadership to the university during the search for a permanent replacement.

FAMU president Dr. Fred Gainous resigned in November, six weeks after FAMU's board of trustees called for his resignation (see BlackIssues, Dec. 2).

Bryant was president of the MDC North Campus from October 1995 to May 2003, during which time the campus grew to become the largest of Miami Dade College's six campuses. As interim president at FAMU, one of her responsibilities will be to manage the university's continuous growth in enrollment, which has increased steadily since the mid 1980s.

"Florida A&M has an honorable, centenary tradition as an open-door institution that emphasizes faculty research and access to continuing education," Bryant says, adding, "It feels very rewarding to be selected to lead my alma mater, the place where I found my calling as an educator."

Born in Jasper, Fla., Bryant earned her bachelor's and master's degrees at FAMU and her doctorate from Nova University in 1981. At Miami Dade College, she rose through the ranks from coordinator of curriculum development on the Wolfson Campus to dean of students, then president of North Campus, and for the last 18 months as president of the Medical Center Campus.

"Dr. Bryant's lifelong commitment to furthering the education of others has positively impacted the lives of very many Miami Dade College students. Florida A&M is lucky to count on the expertise of such a dedicated and capable administrator as its interim president," said MDC President Dr. Eduardo J. Padron.