Florida university president resigns after nine-figure donation snafu
His resignation gives Gov. Ron DeSantis another shot to reshape the state’s higher education system.
TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Florida A&M University President Larry Robinson is resigning as leader of the state’s only public historically Black university, a decision that comes amid a probe into a dubious failed $237 million donation that one key official labeled as an “embarrassment.”
Robinson, who has led the school for nearly seven years, announced the decision Friday, although the specific timing for when he will step down as president is undecided. His departure opens a key void in Florida’s university system, one that will be filled by trustees in the coming months and could be influenced by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration, which has been aggressive in reshaping higher education in the state.
“As you can imagine, this decision comes with many emotions — some sadness, of course, but at the same time, hope and anticipation,” Robinson wrote in a letter to the university. “That hope is not just about what lies next for me and my family, but also what is next for the No. 1 Historically Black College and University in the nation.”
Robinson’s resignation may seem abrupt, yet the timing coincides with an investigation at FAMU surrounding a supposedly campus-altering $237 million donation that came crashing down shortly after it was publicly heralded during a graduation ceremony. The proposed donor appeared to have nowhere near the net worth needed to make a pledge that large, something that only came to light after FAMU had announced the gift.
That probe, led by the university and overseen by system officials, is anticipated to wrap up this month and should shed new light on a snafu that already sparked the resignation of Shawnta Friday-Stroud, FAMU’s vice president for university advancement and executive director of the school’s fundraising foundation.
FAMU last month faced scrutiny from the state Board of Governors, which oversees the state university system, over the donation blunder as well as the school’s lagging performance in law, nursing, pharmacy and physical therapy professional licensure programs, adding to the pressure facing school trustees and Robinson.
One member of the Board of Governors called the failed donation an “embarrassment” to FAMU while nudging school trustees to take action.
“I just want to make sure that the board of trustees recognizes that they have a job to do, and we’re going to expect that job to be done very, very well,” Aubrey Edge, chair of Board of Governors Audit and Compliance Committee, said during the June meeting. “Because this should never have happened.”
Still, Robinson is celebrated as an “incredible” leader for FAMU, one that helped propel the school to new heights such as reaching a top-100 ranking for public universities in U.S. News & World Report’s “2023-2024 Best Colleges” list. Robinson is expected to take a yearlong sabbatical and then return to FAMU as a distinguished professor at the School of the Environment, according to school officials.
“Larry Robinson has been an incredible leader” for FAMU, Alan Levine, who serves on the Board of Governors, posted on social media Friday. “He became president at a consequential time for the University, and was the right guy at the right time.”
FAMU trustees are expected to meet soon to discuss the next steps after Robinson’s resignation, such as finding an interim leader before commencing a presidential search.
FAMU now joins Florida Atlantic University as a second state school hunting for a new president. FAU’s search has been mired in controversy since a Republican lawmaker last year claimed he was handpicked for the job by DeSantis but not chosen by trustees, setting off a firestorm that contributed to state officials ordering the search to be restarted.
DeSantis has played a major role in transforming Florida’s college and university systems by advocating for legislation to gut diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programs, and through his appointment to trustee boards. The most glaring example is DeSantis appointing six trustees at New College of Florida in one swoop last year who quickly fired the school president and replaced her with the Republican governor’s former education chief Richard Corcoran.