The president of Florida’s only public historically Black university resigns after donation debacle
The president of Florida A&M University is resigning amid backlash over the school’s apparent failure to properly vet a $237 million donation.
The president of Florida’s only public historically Black university is resigning amid backlash over the school’s apparent failure to properly vet a multi-million dollar donation from a dubious donor.
Larry Robinson submitted his resignation last week and will leave Florida A&M University at a time when state officials are scrutinizing programs at the school that they say are underperforming and as increasing political influence reshapes the state’s higher education landscape.
During a graduation ceremony in May, Robinson stood on stage in his academic regalia holding a jumbo check for $237 million, a gift that would have been the single largest private donation to a historically Black college or university — if it ever materialized.
Robinson has led the 137-year-old HBCU for seven years. There has been public outcry over the university’s handling of the donation, which took the form of millions of shares in 30-year-old donor Gregory Gerami’s fledgling industrial hemp company. FAMU put the gift on pause and authorized an outside investigation of the debacle, which is ongoing.
“I saw in this unprecedented gift the potential to serve our students and our athletic programs in ways unimaginable at that time,” Robinson told the university’s trustees on May 15. “I wanted it to be real and ignored the warning signs along the way.”
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