Jesse Scheckner
An announcement that Florida Memorial University (FMU) Board of Trustees had elected a new President has ignited a bitter leadership dispute among its members, with nearly half declaring the vote “illegal” and asking a court to intervene.
FMU, a historically Black university, published a press release Thursday naming William McCormick, who had been serving as its interim President since mid-2024, as its permanent leader.
But within hours, a letter signed by seven trustees and the President of the FMU National Alumni Association cried foul, calling the move a “coup” carried out without proper notice or authority.
“Let me be absolutely clear: this presidency was obtained illegally,” the letter said.
Interim Chair Brandon Dumas, joined by the dissenting trustees, argued the meeting where McCormick was appointed was not sanctioned under the Board’s bylaws and therefore invalid.
On Friday, the Miami Herald reported Dumas filed an injunction in a Miami-Dade County court to block what he described as a “rogue faction” of trustees from holding unauthorized meetings and taking further actions that could jeopardize the school’s governance and accreditation.
At the center of the fight is a power struggle over who the legitimate board Chair is.
Dumas said he was officially named Chair in May after serving in an interim capacity. FMU’s website, meanwhile, shows former Board member Walter Weatherington as Chair and doesn’t include Dumas at all.
Snapshots of the FMU Board of Trustees members on the Wayback Machine, which archives website edits, list Dumas as interim Chair and don’t include Weatherington.
Dumas claims Weatherington improperly called an Aug. 9 meeting, during which trustees voted McCormick in as President. The university then pushed out a press release and posted about the appointment on social media.
But only the Chair or an authorized representative can call meetings, Dumas’ injunction notes.
“This is not just a procedural misstep; this is a painful and shameful moment in the history of Florida Memorial University,” Dumas said. “The very soul of this beloved institution is being dragged through the mud.”
McCormick, a 1987 FMU graduate and former Board Chair who became interim President after the resignation of Jaffus Hadrick in June 2024, has not commented on the controversy.
In December, when the Wayback Machine shows the school’s website listing Weatherington as Chair and Dumas as a member, FMU announced it had cast a unanimous vote of confidence in McCormick.
