AUG 14, 10:09 a.m. UPDATE
Danielle McBeth, the director of government relations at Florida A&M University, has resigned.
AUG 13, 6:27 p.m. UPDATE
Officials with Florida A&M University confirm Denise Wallace, the Chief Legal Officer for the FAMU Board of Trustees, and FAMU Director of Communications Keith Miles, have resigned per Interim President Timothy Beard’s directive.
AUG 13, 1:36 p.m. UPDATE
Florida A&M University Vice President and Director of Athletics Tiffani-Dawn Sykes announced Tuesday that she has been officially let go.
![Florida A&M football coach Willie Simmons, university president Dr. Larry Robinson and Athletic Director Tiffani Sykes lift the Celebration Bowl trophy. FAMU (12-1) capped off its best season in 45 years with a victory in the 2023 Celebration Bowl. FAMU beat Howard 30-26 on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/fd18088/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3865x2174+0+0/resize/880x495!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F48%2F16%2F250ed1294508ac3adb709b136d08%2Fdec-16-celebration-bowl-29.jpg)
She announced the news in an email:
"The purpose of this communication is to let you know that effective immediately, I am no longer employed at FAMU. Please route any questions or concerns to AVP for Athletics, Michael Smith until you receive additional direction from Interim President Timothy Beard. Best of luck to you each of you!"Tiffani-Dawn Sykes
ORIGINAL POST
After only holding the position for a week, Florida A&M University Interim President Timothy Beard is calling for the immediate resignations of members of FAMU’s senior leadership team.
HBCU Gameday’s Vaughn Wilson, FAMU’s former sports information director, first broke the news Tuesday morning on HBCU Gameday.
WFSU News spoke with multiple sources and confirmed that by the end of today, Beard will terminate the University’s Chief Operating Officer, Provost, General Counsel, Athletic Director, Chief of Staff, Communications Director, and several other key cabinet positions.
“After careful consideration and in consultation with the Board of Trustees, the past University President, and from my observations, I have concluded that a change in our senior leadership team is necessary to move forward more effectively,” Beard wrote in a letter to members of FAMU’s Senior Leadership team.
![A stately, brick and columned building with a flaming statue in front of it](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/be0c74b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/799x533+0+0/resize/880x587!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8a%2F74%2Fafb07f394c4d9a901edf9c29b47f%2F52330088834-d24470882f-c.jpg)
Tuesday’s announcement comes a week after Beard and the FAMU Board of Trustees held a meeting to discuss the state of the school. Florida A&M is actively searching for its next University president, after former President Larry Robinson made the decision to step down last month after a $237 million donation by a fraudulent donor, fell through.
The resignations also come at a time FAMU is seeing low licensure exam pass rates among students in some of the university’s professional licensure programs.
“I want to reiterate my sincere gratitude for your service and contributions to our University,” Beard wrote in his letter to team members. “Your leadership during your tenure has left a lasting impact on our institution, and I wish you continued success in your future endeavors.”
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