The president of Florida A&M University is stepping down after a donor’s large gift turned out to be an embarrassing misfire. But many people -- from students to state leaders -- appreciate Larry Robinson’s leadership of the the university.
“Before I came here, I heard many great stories about him, how he built up the community even better than it was before.”
That’s FAMU student Kalil Bah. Fellow student Ben Joseph says he sometimes sees the president around campus.
“When I see him, he always waves, says hi, shakes hands even, makes himself present knowing that he’s still with the students regardless of his position as university president.”
But it’s not just students who are saying these things in the wake of Robinson’s resignation. Alan Levine, vice chair of the Florida Board of Governors -- which oversees FAMU -- called Robinson “an incredible leader” in a social media post.
“I am proud of his accomplishments while at FAMU,” Levine wrote, “including unprecedented student success, a top 100 ranking, #1 ranking among public HBCUs and the reduction in student debt.”
Robinson has served as president since 2017. The exact date of his departure will be determined in consultation with the Board of Trustees.
“Dr. Robinson ought to be honored and celebrated for the difference he made," says former FAMU trustee David Lawrence, Jr., chair of the Children’s Movement of Florida and retired publisher of the Miami Herald.
“He put the place back on the land of stability, on the path to progress, and the place made great progress and has gone through this significant and embarrassing bump,” Lawrence said.
During the past two decades, FAMU has cycled through presidents and bad financial audits, landed on accreditation probation due to a hazing scandal, and faced perennial problems in disbursing financial aid.
But during Robinson’s presidency, the academic qualifications of FAMU students accelerated. Robinson was proud of the high-school GPA -- 4.03 -- of last year’s newly admitted class. But he acknowledged feeling a bit conflicted about it.
“So, Larry Robinson, back in the day, wouldn’t be coming to FAMU," he said in 2023. "And I’m really worried about what that means, because I’m worried about every student who comes and every student who doesn’t get in, because that could be another person to help us as a nation and a society get to where we need to go. And of course that student’s family and their community as well.”
Former FAMU trustee Marjorie Turnbull, a retired Florida lawmaker, served on the school’s board when Robinson was the provost.
“One of his strengths that I saw was his recognition of, encouraging and bringing into top administrative positions women,” she said.
Turnbull says Robinson's inclusiveness extended to members of the faculty and staff.
“That has not always been the case at FAMU and, quite frankly, at other universities," she said. "I think in some ways, universities are behind the curve on that. But clearly, for him, he was looking for talent. And if he saw it in someone who happened to be a woman, he didn’t think twice.”
Turnbull says Robinson has been focused on bettering the academic experience for both faculty and students.
“I’m very sorry to see him go. I think he was a positive force at FAMU. I think he had an ability to bring people together," said Turnbull. "He was respected -- highly respected -- in the community. And I think it’s going to be difficult to fill his shoes.”
At FAMU’s May 4th commencement ceremony, Robinson and Texas-based hemp investor Gregory Gerami announced that Gerami had donated $237 million to the school in the form of shares in his private company. The actual value of those shares is in question. That, along with Gerami’s unsuccessful attempts, to make large gifts to other institutions, has raised concerns.
Robinson says it was his hope for the possibility of the gift that blinded him to what he says were warning signs that something was amiss. FAMU’s board is now conducting an independent investigation into the university’s processes for major gifts and vetting donors. They’re also thinking about next steps for hiring a new leader.
Former trustee Lawrence says everyone in FAMU’s leadership “ought to examine himself or herself and then go on and hire somebody who will take the place to the next level.”
“FAMU has huge pluses, but has some significant challenges, including how we’re doing on pass rates and in various disciplines, including nursing and pharmacy and a real challenge with the law school and a multiple set of deans…”
Robinson didn’t give a reason for his resignation in announcing it on July 12. He plans to take a year’s sabbatical before returning as a professor in FAMU’s School of the Environment, a position he held before becoming president.
