FAMU trustees buck political pressure, appoint Robinson interim president

This morning, FAMU trustees tapped Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Larry Robinson to serve as the university’s interim president.

He will face another “confirmation” vote at the next face-to-face board meeting. Trustees have asked him to come to that meeting with a formal presentation to explain his vision for guiding FAMU through the transition period.

Student Body President Marissa West moved to appoint Robinson to the position.

“I think right now, we can’t afford any type of experiment,” West said. “I honestly think Provost Robinson is qualified…Dr. Robinson has a lot of confidence from the students of this university.”

Faculty Senate President Narayan Persaud seconded the motion and praised Robinson’s leadership skills. “Dr. Robinson was the leader of the SACS reaccreditation team and he assembled an excellent group of people to serve on that team. One should not forget his leadership skills.”

Trustee Belinda Shannon agreed. “In Dr. Robinson we are not dealing with an unknown entity…We do need to take advantage of the treasure that we do have in Dr. Robinson,” she said.

West accepted a friendly amendment from Trustee Bill Jennings that will require Robinson’s appointment to undergo a final “confirmation vote” at the board’s next on-campus meeting, which has yet to be scheduled.

The board, upon a motion by West, also accepted Chairman Solomon L. Badger, III’s recommendation to accept now former President James H. Ammons’ resignation. Ammons will begin his sabbatical leave on Tuesday, July 17. The board also agreed to pay the 2010-2011 bonus at the minimum contractual level of 25 percent ($85,312) of his base salary of $325,000. Based on the contractual agreement, the board will also provide Ammons with a 2011-2012 bonus at 5 percent ($17,062), using the annual report he submitted as a basis.

West’s motion did initially attract resistance from Rufus Montgomery and Charles Langston, who wanted alternate names to be considered. Jennings also mentioned the possibility of considering other names for the interim presidency, but gave up after it was clear that Robinson had the most support.

Kelvin Lawson and Cleve Warren expressed concern about moving too fast. But West’s motion ultimately passed without any “nay” votes.

As Rattler Nation previously reported, outside political influences have attempted to discourage certain members of the FAMU Board of Trustees from appointing Robinson as interim president.

Even though fearful hesitation could be heard in the voices of a number of the trustees, West challenged the board to be decisive and stand up for what was best for FAMU.

NOTE: An earlier typographical error in the fourth to last paragraph has been corrected.