’This is not a farewell to my FAMUly’: FAMU President Dr. Larry Robinson announces plans to step down
His departure date will be determined once the Board of Trustees meets, according to the university
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - Florida A&M University President Dr. Larry Robinson is expected to step down.
The FAMU president announced Friday that he’ll be stepping down from his president role which he has held for just under seven years, according to a FAMU press release.
In a letter to FAMU, Dr. Robinson said although he may be stepping down from his presidency, it is not a farewell to his FAMUly.
Dr. Robinson’s full letter reads:
His letter continued with the following:
His exact departure date will be determined once the Board of Trustees meets, according to the university.
A special meeting will be held the university’s future leadership will be discussed, according to the Chair of The Board of Trustees, Kristin Harper.
Harper said the presidential search includes the Chair of the Board and Governors and the Chair of the Board of Trustees appointing a search committee of 15 people responsible for vetting applicants.
The Board of Trustees makes the selection of the new president, and the selection is approved by the Board of Governors the chairwoman said.
One Trustee, Deveron Gibbons, said he’s expecting the board to discuss filling the leadership role whether temporarily or permanently.
“I think that’s the best process, to have an open and democratic process that would allow for all of the trustees to have some input,” Gibbons said. “Then we can come back and see how we’d like to move forward with an interim or not or if we do choose to have an interim who he or she is.”
Gibbons said he hopes to see someone come in and carry on the traditions and legacy Robinson laid the groundwork for.
The university said Dr. Robinson plans to return to his FAMU School of the Environment professor role, which he held in Nov. 2017 before accepting the president role, after a year-long sabbatical.
The FAMU president shared with the Board of Trustees that his intention behind stepping down is to enjoy time with his family before returning to his professor role.
“I want to be clear with the Board and the university community that my decision is made simply because I believe the timing is right for me, my family and the FAMU community,” Robinson wrote in a letter to the Board.
Dr. Robinson was named FAMU’s twelfth president on Nov. 30, 2017, according to the university.
While serving as president, he led Florida A&M to become the number one public Historically Black College and University (HBCU) and a top 100 public school in the United States. That’s also all according to the university.
Previously, he served as the interim president from July 2012 to March 2014 and from Sept. 2016 to Nov. 2017, per the university.
Read the university’s full announcement of Dr. Robinson stepping down below:
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