The Florida A&M University Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Tim Beard as interim president on Tuesday following Dr. Larry Robinson’s resignation.

The Florida A&M University (FAMU) Board of Trustees named Dr. Tim Beard as interim president of the university on Tuesday following the announcement this month that Dr. Larry Robinson would step down from his role as president.

In the interim role, Beard — who will commence his position on August 5 — has agreed not to apply for the permanent president position. Beard’s tenure at FAMU spans 14 years, during which he held various faculty and administrative positions. He also served as president of Pasco-Hernando State College from 2015 until January 2024, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Earlier this month, Robinson announced in a letter to the university’s Board of Trustees Chair that he would step down after nearly seven years in the role. After a year-long sabbatical, he stated within the letter that he plans to return to his former position as a Distinguished Professor in the FAMU School of the Environment. Robinson, who became FAMU’s 12th president in November 2017, led the university to a number one public historically Black college and university ranking (HBCU) for five consecutive years.

“As you can imagine, this decision comes with many emotions – pride, joy, gratitude, and some sadness. However, it also brings hope and anticipation for the future, not only for me and my family but also for FAMU, the number one public Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in the nation,” Robinson wrote. “This achievement was made possible by the strategic guidance provided by the Board of Trustees and the hard work of our dedicated faculty, staff, administrators, students, alumni, and friends.”

Robinson’s decision comes just weeks after FAMU received a faulty $237 million donation earlier this month from the Issac Batterson 7th Family Trust and its CEO Gregory Gerami during its spring commencement ceremony. The gift would have ranked among the largest single contributions to a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) and doubled FAMU’s current endowment.

The donation came under scrutiny when it was discovered that Gerami had a history of failed pledges. In 2020, he promised $95 million to Coastal Carolina University, but the deal fell through, leading the university to cut ties with him. Upon the discovery, it prompted FAMU’s Board of Trustees to pause the gift and initiate an investigation, culminating in an emergency Board of Trustees meeting that decided to hire an independent firm to determine the facts surrounding the donation, audit and analyze the university’s processes, policies, and financial controls, and provide recommendations in a written report.

The FAMU Board of Trustees also said on Tuesday that it would convene next month to discuss the forthcoming presidential candidate search.