Contract approved for interim FAMU president Timothy Beard

Florida A&M University trustees on Tuesday unanimously approved a $400,000 contract for Timothy Beard, a retired president of Pasco-Hernando State College who will take over Monday as interim president of FAMU.

The contract will require Beard by the end of August to set goals for his tenure. If the goals are reached, he can receive a 15 percent performance bonus.

Beard is expected to serve as interim president for 12 months or until Florida A&M hires a permanent president. Beard cannot apply or be considered for the permanent post.

Saying he’s “a product of this great institution” and that his daughters went to the school, Beard thanked the Board of Trustees for having confidence in him to lead Florida A&M from its current “good place” to one that is “better.”

Beard, who served as Pasco-Hernando State College president from 2015 to January 2024, also spent 14 years in faculty and administrative positions at Florida A&M, the state’s only historically Black public university.

Beard will replace President Larry Robinson, whose last day will be Sunday, after the summer graduation ceremony on Friday.

Robinson, who had been president for nearly seven years, announced on July 12 that he was stepping down from that position. He plans to return to the faculty after a 12-month sabbatical.

Robinson announced his resignation after the school’s controversial acceptance and then rejection of a $237 million donation.

Robinson faced questions in May for ignoring “warning signs” about the legitimacy of the donation.