Florida A&M University’s Interim President, Dr. Timothy Beard, has laid out his “First 100 Days Priority Actions,” which detail his plans for the university as he steps into leadership during the search for a new president.
This comes after former President Larry Robinson resigned following a fraud $237 million donation from Gregory Gerami in May.
The donation was announced during Florida A&M’s Spring Commencement, but after careful review, the FAMU community and HBCU supporters nationwide raised concerns. Robinson paused the donation and later took responsibility, apologizing at a Board of Trustees meeting on May 15th.
He assured the FAMU community that,” “While I may be stepping down from the presidency, this is not a farewell to my FAMUly. Following a sabbatical, I will return to my role as a Distinguished Service Professor in the School of the Environment. I look forward to continuing to contribute to our students’ lives and shaping their ability to address the complex problems confronting our world.”
Dr. Beard took on the role of interim president on August 5th, following Robinson’s last day on August 4th. Just a week into his new position, Beard asked his entire senior leadership team to resign, including important members like Dr. Donald Palm, Chief Operating Officer, and Executive Vice President; Allyson Watson, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs; Dr. William E. Hudson, Vice President of Student Affairs; and Tiffani Dawn Sykes, VP and Director of Athletics. This action is in line with one of Beard’s key priorities: “Perform assessments and evaluations of senior personnel and make modifications as appropriate.”
In an interview with WTXL Tallahassee, Beard explained, “In the journey of change, you have to make some tough decisions, but in higher education, it’s not uncommon to have leadership changes.”
He also shared his goal to improve licensure pass rates, stating, “We want to make sure we’re scoring 100% in every area of our licensure exams. It won’t happen overnight, but we’re going to look at that, come up with some best practices… and have relationships with our K-12 partners to get students thinking about healthcare and test-taking years before they get here. So, we have a very bold idea.”
Beard’s plan focuses on taking quick action to build trust, solve urgent problems, and set the stage for future success. His action plan, which serves as a guide for his first 100 days as FAMU’s leader, highlights “community engagement, student support, academic excellence, and administrative reforms.” These reforms began with changes to the senior leadership team, signaling a new direction for the university’s administration.
In his first 10 days, Beard conducted a thorough review of the university’s finances and started a listening tour to gather feedback from students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community leaders. During days 11 to 20, he launched a “President’s Update” weekly program on social media to keep everyone informed about what’s happening at the university. He also identified urgent infrastructure needs on campus and assessed food insecurity, partnering with local food banks to address it.
Beard’s plan also emphasizes FAMU’s goal to achieve Carnegie R1 classification (Very High Research Activity) by 2030.
FAMU currently holds a Carnegie R2 (High Research Activity) ranking, and achieving R1 status would represent a significant accomplishment. The Carnegie Foundation determines this classification based on research spending and the production of research doctorates.
Although the action plan doesn’t require approval from the FAMU Board of Trustees, Dr. Beard plans to discuss his goals during the board’s committee meetings on Wednesday, September 11th, at the Al Lawson Center, ahead of the full board meeting on September 12th.
