Florida A&M University's President could soon get a bonus on top of the $385,000 contract he signed in 2017. The Board of Trustees briefly discussed making the recommendation for a raise during Thursday’s Board of Trustees meeting.
The evaluation of FAMU President Larry Robinson wasn’t an item on the agenda but Trustee Robert Woody decided to bring it up for discussion.
“You can read my evaluation and tell how impressed I was of this last year's performance of the president as well as the staff at the university," said Woody. "And I want to put a recommendation on the table to consider him to give the president a bonus.”
While Woody didn’t explain why he believes Robinson deserves a pay increase, the university has made gains in the state’s performance measures, and it’s been praised for its response to the pandemic. Though Robinson says he’s pleased with the prospect of a raise, he says now isn’t the right time.
"I must reject any notion right now for a bonus due to the circumstances we are facing and likely to face this upcoming year. And use whatever monies that that might have been to help us through," said Robinson.
Trustee Chairman Kelvin Lawson appreciated the gesture but agreed with Woody.
“There’s a lot of time, energy, and effort put into these roles as President. So we want to make sure that we appropriately compensate our leader as well. So it will be on our board agenda for discussion,” said Lawson.
The board is scheduled to meet again on August 14.
