Last Friday, the Florida Board of Governors (FBOG) informed FAMU President Larry Robinson that it would be taking over the 'independent' investigation into the mishandling of a substantial gift from the Gregory Gerami/Batterson Farms Corporation. President Robinson shared this development during yesterday's audit and compliance committee call with the university's Board of Trustees (BOT).
The BOT had voted on Wednesday, May 15, to initiate an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the botched $237.75 million donation. The goal, then, was to determine who knew, what, when, where and how the university missed apparent red flags in announcing this potential landmark gift.
FAMU has contracted with a Pennsylvania-based law firm to conduct the investigation. However, with the FBOG now taking control, the firm will report to the FBOG instead of the FAMU trustees. Initially, trustees hoped the investigation would provide clarity on the incident and help establish robust processes for handling significant donations and vetting donors in the future. Whether or not the investigation will follow the trustees' stated goals is now uncertain with the FBOG's intervention.
In the midst of this controversy, Shawnta Friday-Stroud, who had served as Vice President of University Advancement, stepped down as VP . Despite her resignation, Friday-Stroud will continue serving as the dean of the business school.