The president of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University is stepping down from the top post two months after he acknowledged that he had mishandled a large donation that a donor had promised to the university but has since been put on hold.
During commencement festivities in early May, Florida A&M, a historically Black public university in Tallahassee, announced that a business executive was making a donation worth more than $237 million. Questions soon arose over whether the source of the donation had been properly vetted, The Tallahassee Democrat reported.
President Larry Robinson did not give a reason for his resignation in his open letter announcing his resignation or in a news release on July 12. But two months earlier, at a board of trustees meeting on May 15, Mr. Robinson took responsibility for “mishandling” the proposed donation and decided to “cease the engagement agreement” with the donor, according to the meeting’s minutes log.
“He apologized to all parties involved and acknowledged the missteps in the University’s approach,” the log said.
The gift had been promised by a business executive named Gregory Gerami and a family trust. Mr. Gerami was invited to speak in May at commencement, during which the donation was promoted. Photographs show Mr. Gerami, Mr. Robinson and others posing behind a large, ceremonial check for the amount of $237,750,000.
But just four days later, Mr. Robinson told the university’s board that he had “received information suggesting the gift was not as it appeared,” according to minutes from the May 15 meeting. Mr. Robinson and Shawnta Friday-Stroud, who at the time was the school’s vice president, then “contacted the donor to cease the engagement agreement.”
Ms. Friday-Stroud also resigned from her position as vice president and returned to her role as the full-time dean of the school of business and industry, according to the meeting minutes.
During the May 15 meeting, the board voted to hire an external firm to perform a complete investigation into the gift. The trustees did not accuse Mr. Gerami of any wrongdoing, according to the minutes from the May 15 meeting.
According to The Associated Press, the gift was made in the form of stock. Both Florida A&M and Mr. Gerami said that the stock had been transferred. Both parties are gathering independent evaluations of the stock, the A.P. reported.
Mr. Robinson’s office said Wednesday that he was at a conference and could not comment on the matter. The university said that a spokesman would respond to written questions but had not responded by the end of the day.
Mr. Gerami declined to comment on Wednesday.
Earlier, he told The Tallahassee Democrat that he was cooperating with the independent investigation into the gift.
“All I can do is be as transparent legally as I can and provide legal documentation that I’m legally allowed to provide and make myself available to anybody from the FAMU Foundation or Board of Trustees or even the Board of Governors for any questions,” he said.
Mr. Robinson spent nearly seven years as the president of Florida A&M, the university said. Last year the university, which has nearly 10,000 students, made it onto the top 100 of the U.S. News & World Report’s list of public colleges and universities — achieving one of the main goals for the university set forth by Mr. Robinson and the board.
Mr. Robinson worked in various roles at the university for 20 years before becoming president. His last day has yet to be determined and his replacement has yet to be named. He plans to take a yearlong sabbatical and then return to the university as a distinguished service professor in the School of the Environment.
At the May 15 meeting, Mr. Robinson reassured the board that the university was financially sound and was not dependent on the gift for its operations.
“Rattlers, you are truly remarkable,” Mr. Robinson said in his open letter on July 12, referencing the school’s mascot, a snake. “I personally thank each and every one of you, whether you have been a staunch advocate or a thoughtful critic.”
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