‘A great president’: Larry Robinson leaves a legacy at FAMU. Here’s what it includes

Time after time, Florida A&M University President Larry Robinson has been called to be a stabilizing force for the FAMU community.

Although his time at the helm of FAMU is coming to an end, he charged a new path forward on a variety of fronts as the university’s go-to-guy throughout multiple eras.

“I have a great deal of respect for Dr. Robinson. He’s a good man — very honest, methodical, thoughtful and warm,” said Rodner Wright, retired dean of FAMU’s School of Architecture and Engineering Technology. Wright was also a former interim provost at FAMU and was considered one of Robinson’s closest friends and allies during his time at the university.

“Each time he was called to lead the university, he was able to bring stability to the institution fairly quickly,” he added. “He’ll always look to make decisions that are in the best interest of the university consistently.”

Despite numerous inquiries from the Tallahassee Democrat, Robinson was not available for an interview this week, but the university's Office of Communications emailed a quote from the president Friday afternoon heralding the "upward direction" that has vaulted FAMU into the ranks of the top 100 public universities.

“My legacy is for history to judge. I am just humbled to be stepping down from the presidency with FAMU well positioned to educate students for generations to come and engage in meaningful research led by outstanding faculty members and staff.”

Robinson — a Memphis, Tennessee native who has been serving as FAMU’s 12th president — announced July 12 his decision to step down after a nearly seven-year tenure, and his last day is Aug. 4.

The surprise announcement came on the heels of some recent setbacks for the university — including a dubious and now "ceased" $237 million donation from Texas hemp farmer Gregory Gerami that made national headlines and is currently under investigation. Before it all fell apart under further scrutiny, the stock donation was heralded at a spring graduation ceremony with an oversized check, celebratory music and a keynote speech from Gerami.

A very different commencement played out Friday evening when Robinson oversaw his final graduation ceremony as one of his last acts as president. He gave no farewell speech, but during the ceremony, the provost expressed the campus and faculty's gratitude to Robinson for his leadership. That was followed by a spirited round of applause from the summer graduating class and attendees in the audience.

Related news: Robinson reigns at last: FAMU holds ceremony for inauguration of its 12th president

‘Always there when the university needed him’

Following the beginning of Robinson’s career at FAMU in January 1995 as a visiting professor in the Environmental Sciences Institute and the steps up along the way, he was named the university’s chief executive officer in 2007 — a title he held briefly.

When former President James Ammons was ousted in 2012, Robinson was selected to serve as interim president as the university faced fallout from the November 2011 hazing death of Marching “100” Band drum major Robert Champion, accreditation issues and decreases in enrollment.

It would be the first time he would take the helm during some of FAMU's most difficult times.

Despite the hardships, Robinson was widely credited with successfully leading the university. During his 2012-2014 interim tenure, FAMU was lifted from probation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which is the university’s accreditation agency.

Robinson also ushered in a new anti-hazing program and website aimed to give students a way to alert administrators of hazing activity.

When it came to funding, he secured large grants from big name entities such as Microsoft, the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

He also was appointed interim president a third time in 2016 after the ousting of former FAMU President Elmira Mangum.

“Dr. Robinson was always there when the university needed him,” said FAMU Board of Trustees member Kelvin Lawson, who formerly served as a long-lasting chair of the board during Robinson’s tenure.

“He came in at challenging times as an interim president, and we were able to work closely with him and our board to slowly put building blocks in place to try and elevate the university.”

University of the District of Columbia President Maurice Edington — a long-time former provost at FAMU and Robinson’s right-hand man who also briefly served as the university’s executive vice president and chief operating officer — expressed how Robinson’s dedication to excelling academically leaves a mark on FAMU.

"Dr. Robinson's unwavering commitment to academic excellence leaves a lasting legacy on the FAMU community, and all who have had the privilege to work with him,” Edington said in an email this week to the Tallahassee Democrat.

“As a mentor, friend and colleague, he has profoundly shaped my own professional journey. I extend my deepest gratitude and best wishes to him as he embarks on his next chapter."

A tribute: Thank you, FAMU President Robinson, job well done | Bill Proctor

‘High notes and low notes’

While Robinson is heralded as a leader, he has also faced challenges throughout his career — including an incomplete capital campaign, on-campus housing shortages, issues with transitions in athletics leadership, the multi-million-dollar donation debacle and low licensure passage rates, about which Florida Board of Governors Chair Alan Levine expressed grave concerns during a recent board meeting.

In spite of the bumps in the road, Levine highlighted the importance of looking at the greater picture.

“Being the president of a university is very difficult, and during any president’s tenure, there are high notes and low notes,” Levine told the Democrat this week. “But you have to look at the entire breadth of their tenure.”

“In the end analysis, Larry Robinson was a great president,” he added, saying that he considers Robinson a friend. “He’s a great man, and he’ll go down as one of the better leaders that FAMU has ever had."

More: FAMU trustees accept President Larry Robinson's resignation, pick interim president

FAMU trustees approved Robinson’s resignation during a recent board meeting, where they also appointed Interim President Timothy Beard ahead of a presidential search and selection that will take place in the near future.

“I think the university is losing a very thoughtful leader,” Wright said, referring to Robinson. “The university will continue to benefit from his intellect and thoughtfulness, but he will be dearly missed as president of the university.”

As his leadership draws to an end, here are a few of his lasting legacies as president of FAMU:

Expanding FAMU’s footprint

While Robinson has been serving as FAMU’s leader, he expanded the Rattler footprint. In 2022, amid the student housing crunch, the university closed on a $12.65 million purchase of apartment complexes adjacent to campus that added 118 beds to student housing along with a nearly $13 million acquisition that added 116 more beds.

The acquisitions — which have been named Rattler Pointes East and West and were made available to students in fall 2023 — became the largest purchases made in the university’s history in terms of housing bought off campus.

“This is another opportunity for us to better serve our students,” Robinson said during a 2022 news conference in front of one of the complexes. “This is certainly an investment in FAMU’s future.”

FAMU's on-campus developments

On top of the apartment acquisitions, Robinson has also been realizing the university’s housing ambitions of adding 2,000 new beds to FAMU student housing through a major project that will build three new resident halls on campus, with one of them currently underway.

The university broke ground in April on a 700-bed state-of-the-art residence hall just north of FAMU Towers, which was built in 2020 under Robinson’s watch. The future housing complex is slated to be complete by fall 2025, and a 500-bed residence hall as well as an 800-bed mixed-use apartment complex are also a part of the grand housing initiative.

FAMU developments over the years have also included turning a dated and structurally unsafe Bragg Stadium into a well-improved structure with major renovations such as a new end zone scoreboard and new bleachers.

In addition, the university’s Will Packer Performing Arts Amphitheater was established on the university’s campus — named after the noted film and television producer, director and screenwriter. The Center for Access and Student Success (CASS) building was also built in 2021, acting as the centerpiece for student services at FAMU.

Boosting FAMU in national rankings

Robinson helped propel FAMU — a 136-year-old institution — into being the No. 1 public HBCU for the fifth consecutive year in a row, according to U.S. News & World Report.

The university also broke into the Top 100 national public universities in the reports, which met one of Robinson’s long term goals as FAMU rose to No. 91 among the nation’s public universities. The jump was a whopping 12 spots from last year’s placement at No. 103.

“The work we did at FAMU to help make it one of the top HBCUs in America is one of the things I am most proud of,” Levine said.

Record-breaking research, fundraising dollars

Year after year under Robinson’s leadership, FAMU has increased contributions when it comes to fundraising and research, including a record $112.4 million that was brought in from research awards during the 2023-2024 fiscal year.

“Topping $100 million in research awards is an important milestone on our way to accomplishing Carnegie Research-1 status,” Robinson said in a prepared statement. “It’s only a matter of time before FAMU achieves that goal.”

The amount surpassed the $96 million in research funding that was awarded to the university last year.

In addition, the university received a record-breaking $25.7 million in fundraising last year, which exceeded a $15 million goal.

When considering FAMU’s funding accomplishments among other highlighted achievements over the years, Lawson said Robinson has been key to the success of FAMU through it all.

“Dr. Robinson has been a steward of the university in every circle you could imagine as a key representative of FAMU — from faculty to students to active alums to donors to corporate entities and research institutions,” Lawson said.

He also says Robinson’s sabbatical will be a well-deserved rest for him after many years of tirelessly serving the university.

“The person who had to sign his vacation requests for the last seven years was myself, and very few of those vacation requests came through, which I always thought was a concern,” Lawson said.

“The guy worked tirelessly day and night to better this institution, and I hope that he can take a deep breath and take a step back to enjoy some free time as he moves into his sabbatical and then returns to the institution as a distinguished professor.”

Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on X: @tarahjean_.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida A&M President Larry Robinson left legacy before stepping down