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Bethune-Cookman board member seeks leadership shake-up amid school's financial struggles

DAYTONA BEACH, Fl. — Bethune Cookman University officials held a press conference Friday to try to alleviate some concerns over a financial and academic storm surrounding the university in the past 18 months.

The school's interim president Hubert Grimes wanted to reassure students and alumni Friday that the school was taking steps to get back on track.

"We are going to make the changes we need to make in order to continue strengthening the university," Grimes said.

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The school's regional accreditation agency placed it on a 2-year probation in 2017. Grimes said the school has since hired an accreditation expert and fixed most of the issues the school faced. He did not explain what issues were fixed and how.

There are still questions about what happened to $25 million that went missing in what was supposed to go toward the construction of new dorms. The school said it gave documents to the Federal Bureau of Investigations to look into the matter.

Board of Trustees member Belvin Perry is calling for a leadership shakeup. He plans to present a motion at next week's Board of Trustees meeting to remove board Chairwoman Michelle Carter-Scott, the mother of Atlanta Hawks player Vince Carter.

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"At our next board meeting, I feel compelled to move that Carter-Scott be removed as the chair of Board of Trustees," Perry said. "Not only to remove her from Board of Trustees, but to bar her from ever serving again."

Carter-Scott was not present at the press conference and has not returned an email requesting comment.