Florida A&M University (FAMU) is set today to officially join the crowded field of institutions on the hunt for a new president, when its presidential search committee gathers for its first official meeting.
One person who has ruled himself out of the running is the veteran educator FAMU trustees have turned to for immediate leadership in helping the struggling institution recover from its recent fall from grace and, in the process, restore its tattered standing with the public and boost its appeal to presidential prospects.
Larry Robinson, the 57-year-old FAMU administrator was tapped on short notice last month to replace Dr. James H. Ammons, the FAMU alum whose five year tenure as president was abruptly cut short by the FAMU Board of Trustees.
Robinson, a native of Memphis, Tenn. and its public schools system, attended LeMoyne-Owen College, earned his B.S. in 1979 from Memphis State University and Ph.D. in nuclear chemistry in 1984 from Washington University in St. Louis.
“Nobody said it would be easy,” Robinson said of his new assignment. “I never said that. It certainly will be challenging.”
In a wide-ranging telephone interview this week, Robinson declared himself ready for the challenge, asserting FAMU has a rich legacy and many good staff, faculty and students who can help turn the university’s fortunes around.
“I think at this very critical time in the university’s history, this opportunity allows me a chance to inject a degree of stability,” said Robinson, when asked why he took on the post of interim president. “I’m confident the board will be able to find people so well prepared for the job that a few years from now people will be saying ‘Larry who?’, he added in a humorous tone, seeking to contain any guessing about his wanting the post for the long term.
