- The Florida A&M Board of Trustees accepted Dr. Larry Robinson's resignation as university president Tuesday.
- The board also identified Dr. Tim Beard as a candidate for the position of interim president — negotiations will begin soon.
- Watch now to hear two students describe what they would like from the next president of FAMU.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The search for a new president at Florida A&M University will begin soon.
Tuesday, we learned more about who might lead FAMU in the meantime.
I'm your College Town neighborhood reporter, Alberto Camargo, at FAMU.
I'm digging into what the presidential search process will look like.
Here's what I learned.
Dr. Larry Robinson's tenure will end just after summer graduation in early August.
The FAMU Board of Trustees accepted his resignation Tuesday.
FAMU trustee Belvin Perry Jr. says the university's next leader will have big shoes to fill.
"We are charged with the task of building on what Dr. Robinson started for us. We will find a new direction, we will pick up and put the pieces together."
Until a new president is selected, Dr. Tim Beard may lead in an interim role.
He was most recently president of Pasco-Hernando State College.
Board chair Kristin Harper will start negotiations with Dr. Beard.
The hope is that he will start August 5.
His appointment would also be subject to confirmation by the Board of Governors.
I asked students on campus what they hope to get from FAMU's next leader.
"Somebody who is proud to be Black and serve Black students. Somebody who is also willing to get to know us. I want to see them on campus, see their face, shake their hand.
"I hope that they really accommodate to everyday student life because some presidents may not care for us as much on a personal level. I hope they care for even the smallest of things."
We have a recent example of a presidential search at a public university here in town.
We followed every step of the 2021 search at Florida State that ended with the appointment of President Richard McCullough.
That search took almost nine months to complete.
FAMU says a timeline for its presidential search will be cleared up at their August retreat.
The search for the successor to Dr. Larry Robinson will start with a 15-person search committee.
One member will be appointed by the Chair of the Board of Governors.
At least three will be current FAMU trustees.
Once the trustees elect the university's 13th president, the last step is confirmation from the Board of Governors.
At FAMU, Alberto Camargo, ABC27.
ORIGINAL STORY:
The FAMU Board of Trustees accepted the resignation of President Larry Robinson Tuesday — effective Aug. 4 — and quickly made progress on finding a replacement.
Board chair Kristin Harper identified Dr. Tim Beard as a candidate for the position of interim president.
Dr. Beard was most recently president of Pasco-Hernando State College from 2015 until his retirement in early 2024. According to the college's website, Beard also spent time as the dean of student affairs at the University of South Alabama.
Beard has a long-time connection to FAMU, serving in several roles from 1989 to 2003.
The FAMU trustees agreed to appoint an interim president for a period of 12 months — or until the university's 13th president is elected. The interim will not be considered for the permanent job.
The appointment of an interim president is subject to approval by the Board of Trustees and confirmation by the Florida Board of Governors.
