FAMU Interim President Larry Robinson
Florida A&M University’s Board of Trustees has approved the contract for its interim president, Dr. Larry Robinson, during a meeting via conference call on Thursday afternoon.
Larry Robinson will be paid an annual base salary of $385,000. According to Chairman Kelvin Lawson, $200,000 will be paid from taxpayer funds and $185,000 from the FAMU Foundation.
“I commend to you. I will earn every cent.” Robinson assured.
Robinson will stay in his private residence and use his own vehicle, but he will still get a $3,500 monthly housing payment and an additional $1,200 a month as transportation related allowance.
Robinson’s agreement also includes membership to The Governor’s Club and a local country club.
Gary T. McCoy, a trustee member, said the agreement was “more than fair.”
His contract includes a 6 month sabbatical at the end of his term. Robinson then has the freedom to return to his position as a distinguished professor in the FAMU School of the Environment, receiving a $230,000 salary. He is also nationally recognized for serving as assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from 2010 to 2011.
By Nov. 1, Robinson has to provide a list of proposed goals and objectives for the year. The board will sign off on his plan at its upcoming board meeting.
His contract officially began on September 15, 2016, the same day Dr. Elmira Mangum stepped down as president. Mangum has yet to sign a separation agreement with FAMU. She has until October 6 to sign the documents before the school takes action. Since she was ousted, she has gone back and forth with FAMU’s attorneys negotiating the details of her resignation.
Mangum’s presidency was terminated after a 10-1 vote by trustees in a board meeting last month. She is still expected to be paid her annual $425,000 salary until her contract ends on March 31, 2017. She was also given a year-long sabbatical which covered housing expenses and partial coverage for attorney fees, but those terms could be retracted if her agreement isn’t signed soon.
“I think we have negotiated in good faith. We want to be respectful as we deal with Dr. Mangum and her team, but at the same time we have a responsibility to move this university forward,” said Kelvin Lawson.