What’s New
Florida A&M College’s president resigned Friday after weeks of scrutiny over a botched $237-million donation introduced at spring graduation.
Larry Robinson didn’t cite a purpose for his resolution to step down.
In his announcement, Robinson known as his seven-year tenure on the traditionally Black college “the privilege of a lifetime.”
“The prospect to serve our college students, the state of Florida, and our nation on this distinctive position has me extra satisfied than ever of the transformative energy of schooling,” Robinson wrote. “These previous few years have solely strengthened my core perception within the distinctive energy of HBCUs to form lives and nurture vital expertise that serve our households and communities.”
Kristin Harper, chair of Florida A&M’s Board of Trustees, applauded Robinson’s management. Throughout his time as president, the college noticed record-breaking enrollment in its graduate engineering program and has been named the very best public HBCU by U.S. Information & World Report for 5 consecutive years.
“We’ve achieved outstanding good points and record-breaking years beneath President Robinson’s management,” Harper mentioned. “His love for FAMU, regular management, and unwavering dedication to our college students’ success will depart an indelible mark on this college’s historical past.”
The Particulars
Throughout this 12 months’s spring graduation ceremony, Gregory Gerami, the keynote speaker and the chief government of Batterson Farms Company, shocked attendees with a pledge to present the college greater than a quarter-billion {dollars} in shares from his firm. It was touted as the most important single donation in HBCU historical past.
However after alumni and native reporters raised scrutiny, Gerami’s donation was placed on maintain.
An investigation by the Tallahassee Democrat discovered, amongst different purple flags, that Gerami might have drastically overestimated the worth of his firm’s inventory.
Robinson later took “full duty” for failing to vet Gerami and safeguard the college’s status.
“I noticed on this unprecedented present the potential to serve our college students,” Robinson mentioned throughout a gathering with the college’s trustees. “I wished it to be actual, and ignored the warning indicators alongside the best way.”
Shawnta Friday-Stroud, FAMU’s vp for college development, resigned in Could. Later that month, Florida Board of Governors started an investigation into the circumstances resulting in the donation.
What’s Subsequent
Robinson’s resignation comes on the heels of an tried reckoning with state officers relating to disparate funding. A federal decide in January dismissed a lawsuit filed by FAMU college students who argued that the State of Florida deliberately discriminates in opposition to the traditionally Black college.
The Board of Trustees will meet to find out subsequent steps and announce a departure date for the president. Robinson wrote in his resignation letter that he’ll return to Florida A&M as a distinguished professor within the Faculty of the Surroundings following a yearlong sabbatical.
