FAMU interim President Timothy Beard's 100-day action plan includes 'listening'

Florida A&M University interim President Timothy Beard’s “First 100 Days Priority Actions” lays out a variety of his plans for the university as he takes the helm while a presidential search is underway.

As Beard has hit the ground running, one of the priorities on his plan’s to-do list has already started being worked on and is in the process of being checked off: “Perform assessments and evaluation of senior personnel and make modifications as appropriate.”

“The implementation of strategic actions within the first 100 days is essential for building trust, addressing urgent issues and establishing a foundation for future achievements,” the action plan says.

The strategies in Beard’s action plan – which acts as a roadmap for his initial 100 days of being FAMU’s leader – emphasizes “community engagement, student support, academic excellence and administrative reforms," which comes after a reform has already been kicked off through restructuring efforts within the FAMU senior leadership team.

Beard began his role as FAMU’s interim president Aug. 5 following former President Larry Robinson’s resignation. His last day in office was Aug. 4.

A week into Beard’s time of serving as the university’s interim leader, he asked his entire senior leadership team to resign as he assesses the members. Among those who have been dismissed are Communications Director Keith Miles, Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics and Athletics Director Tiffani-Dawn Sykes, Director of Governmental Relations Danielle McBeth and Vice President of Legal Affairs Denise Wallace.

While Beard has completed three weeks, initial priorities in his action plan from days one to 10 included conducting a comprehensive audit of university finances and launching a listening tour to meet with students, faculty, staff, alumni and community leaders to gather feedback from them.

More: 'New leadership is essential': FAMU interim president Beard asks for resignations

From days 11 to 20, Beard’s plans were to implement a "President's Update" weekly program on social media with the goal of engaging stakeholders and providing them with updates about the university.

He also prioritized identifying “urgent” campus infrastructure needs and conducting a campus-wide assessment of food insecurity to establish a detailed report on food insecurity levels and initial partnerships with local food banks, according to the plan.

In addition, tasks related to reaching Carnegie R1 status are included throughout the plan, where Carnegie classifications are based on research and development-related spending as well as the production of research doctorates. These are designated by the Carnegie Foundation, which evaluates the research activity of academic institutions every three years and conducted its most recent evaluation this year .

As FAMU has set a goal of reaching a Carnegie R1 classification (Very High Research Activity) by 2030, it is currently ranked Carnegie R2 (High Research Activity).

Here are other plans in the 100-day calendar of Beard’s intended actions:

• Day 21-30: Host initial listening sessions with student organizations, sports teams, fraternities and sororities; launch targeted alumni engagement campaigns; form a task force dedicated to Carnegie R1 status.
• Day 31-40: Begin addressing prioritized campus infrastructure repairs; develop initial food insecurity relief measures; conduct faculty and staff professional development workshops.
• Day 41-50: Host the first Transitional/Community Advisory Team meeting; implement enhanced student guidance and supervision programs.
• Day 51-60: Conduct quarterly financial audit review; host virtual town hall meetings with students; initiate strategic partnerships for Carnegie R1 status.
• Day 61-70: Formalize memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with community organizations; launch monthly community service events involving students and faculty; develop and launch mentorship programs connecting alumni with current students.
• Day 71-80: Conduct a review of student support services; begin developing a strategic plan for long-term infrastructure improvements; implement continuous improvement processes for all initiatives.
• Day 81-90: Host an alumni reunion event (in-person or virtual); review progress on the Carnegie R1 status initiative; conduct a comprehensive impact assessment of community engagement initiatives.
• Day 91-100: Conduct final listening sessions and stakeholder feedback forums; prepare a 100-day progress report and share it with stakeholders; host a celebratory event to acknowledge achievements and outline the next steps.

The action plan does not require the FAMU Board of Trustees' approval, according to a university spokesperson, but Beard is expected to discuss his goals for the university during the board's committee meetings Wednesday, Sept. 11 at the Al Lawson Center. That's ahead of a Sept. 12 full board meeting.

Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on X: @tarahjean_ .

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU interim President Timothy Beard's 100-day action plan includes 'listening'