Doug Blackburn column: We need more Larry Robinsons

LARRY ROBINSON
 

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -- An era is coming to an end. Monday will be Larry Robinson’s last official day as Florida A&M University’s interim president.

Twenty-one months of heavy but graceful lifting will become another chapter in the university’s rich history. Cornell vice president Elmira Mangum, hired in January to be FAMU’s 11th president, begins on Tuesday. It should be a seamless transition. Robinson is flexible and dedicated to Florida A&M.

He’s demonstrated that time and again in the wake of James H. Ammons’ resignation in July 2012. He has mended important fences with the Board of Governors. He worked with faculty and staff campus-wide to address issues cited by the university’s accrediting body to ensure that FAMU successfully came off a 12-month probation sanction. He has been the chief architect of one of the most comprehensive anti-hazing initiatives ever ...

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