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HBCU president resigns after $237 million hemp farm donation goes to pot

‘By the way the money is in the bank.’ It was not

The president of Florida A&M University will resign after his school accepted a questionable $237 million donation pledge from a hemp farmer.

President Larry Robinson announced his decision last week, “although the specific timing for when he will step down as president is undecided,” according to Politico.

“His departure opens a key void in Florida’s university system, one that will be filled by trustees in the coming months and could be influenced by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration, which has been aggressive in reshaping higher education in the state,” Politico reported.

Robinson will take a sabbatical and then return as a professor at the historically black university in Tallahassee, according to his public letter about his resignation.

The university is currently investigating the donation-in-name-only from 30-year-old Gregory Gerami.

The university, including Robinson, honored Gerami during the May graduation ceremony. “By the way the money is in the bank,” Gerami said.

It echoed a similar promise he made in 2020 to Coastal Carolina University. Gerami promised $95 million but then backed out of the deal, blaming it on “racism.”

The donation controversy appears to have also led administrator Shawnta Friday-Stroud to resign. She held two roles in fundraising, one for the university and one for its foundation.

She is still a professor, however.

The university has also come under scrutiny from state officials due to low “licensure exam pass rates,” according to the Tallahassee Democrat.

“FAMU’s exam pass rates show that only 41% of the university’s College of Law students passed during their first attempt in 2023 — an outcome that falls 39% short of the university’s 80% approved goal, according to a 2024 FAMU accountability plan,” the newspaper reported.

“In February 2024, FAMU was still well below the benchmark but hit a 47% first-time passage rate of the Florida Bar exam, which was a better passage rate than Florida State University’s 40%,” the newspaper reported.

The physical therapy program and nursing programs have also underperformed on exam passage rates.

Florida Board of Governors Vice Chair Al Levine expressed interest in June in cutting underperforming programs.

“I’m prepared to vote to take these programs away if we can’t do it the right way,” Levine said,” according to the Tallahassee Democrat. “This is a disservice to those students and to the taxpayers who are paying for this, and the result they are getting is they can’t pass their boards to go practice what they went to school for.”

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IMAGE: FAMU

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About the Author
Associate Editor
Matt has previously worked at Students for Life of America, Students for Life Action and Turning Point USA. While in college, he wrote for The College Fix as well as his college newspaper, The Loyola Phoenix. He previously interned for government watchdog group Open the Books. He holds a B.A. from Loyola University-Chicago and an M.A. from the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He lives in northwest Indiana with his family.