Florida A&M University trustees agreed Tuesday to bring in retired Pasco-Hernando State College President Tim Beard to serve as FAMU’s interim leader after the resignation of President Larry Robinson.
Board of Trustees Chairwoman Kristin Harper, who proposed Beard as interim president, said his hiring depends on contract negotiations and approval by the state university system’s Board of Governors.
“I’m convinced that he’s a person of integrity, a collaborator and what FAMU needs in this interim chapter,” Harper said during an online meeting of the trustees. “Most importantly, he is willing, able and available to serve.”
Robinson will leave the post Aug. 4, two days after a summer graduation ceremony. After nearly seven years as president of the state’s only historically Black public university, he announced July 12 that he would step down. He is expected to return to the faculty after taking a year-long sabbatical.
The resignation announcement came after FAMU’s controversial acceptance and then rejection of a $237 million donation. Robinson faced questions in May for ignoring “warning signs” about the …