Florida A&M University President Larry Robinson has announced plans to step down.
FAMU Board of Trustees Chair Kristin Harper sent an email to board members about Robinson’s decision Friday morning, which included an attached resignation letter from Robinson.
The bombshell announcement significantly comes on the heels of the university’s recent low points — including a dubious and now ‘ceased’ $237 million donation from Texas hemp farmer Gregory Gerami that made national headlines and is currently under investigation, as well as poor licensure program performances that heightened concerns from the Florida Board of Governors.
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FAMU trustee Kelvin Lawson confirmed Robinson’s decision during a phone call with the Tallahassee Democrat Friday morning.
“With tremendous gratitude for the privilege of leading our beloved Florida A&M University as Interim President in 2016 and President beginning in 2017, and with much optimism for its future, I am writing to inform you of my decision to step down from my position,” Robinson said in his resignation letter.
“I will entrust the determination of the precise date to the Board’s preferences while fulfilling any obligations of my existing contract.”
The decision comes after Robinson’s nearly seven-year tenure at the university, where — despite recent blows — he has also had a list of highlights that include propelling the 136-year-old institution into being the No. 1 public HBCU for the fifth consecutive year in a row, according to the U.S. News and World Reports.
The university also met one of Robinson’s long-time goals last year of breaking into the Top 100 national public universities.
After stepping down from his role as president, Robinson — the historically Black university’s 12th president — will start a 12-month sabbatical and will return as a distinguished professor in the School of the Environment.
“In the near future, I will call a special meeting so that we can discuss our next steps as a Board,” Harper told trustees in a Friday email.
By Agencies
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