Florida A&M University’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved Interim President Timothy Beard’s employment contract — a vote that was followed by questions about whether his salary is up to par.
The board’s approval of the contract during a special virtual meeting Tuesday comes after trustees voted to appoint Be a rd , recently retired president of Pasco-Hernando State College, for the interim position a week ago following President Larry Robinson’s decision to step down. His last day is Aug. 4.
“We are excited to welcome you back to the hill in this interim capacity and certainly look forward to working with you,” FAMU Board of Trustees Chair Kristin Harper told Beard after the contract’s approval.
According to the employment agreement, Beard’s annual base salary will be $400,000 — about $50,000 shy of Robinson’s current salary of $451,711 .
But trustee Kelvin Lawson says he thought Beard’s $400,000 salary would have been a little higher and asked Harper where it would put FAMU in a ranking of current salaries of Florida’s State University System institution presidents.
Although Harper did not have that data on hand, she said the annual base salary was agreed upon between Beard and herself in the negotiation process.
She also says a compensation analysis will be conducted during the university’s president search and selection in the future.
Board of Trustees Vice Chair Deveron Gibbons agreed with Lawson’s concern, saying he wanted to make sure Beard’s salary is in line with the rest of the presidents in the SUS.
“I wouldn't want him to be too far out of whack,” Gibbons said. “Related to this particular issue, I think the lowest in the SUS is around $425,000, so I wanted to make sure that we were actually within the realm to make sure that we treat the interim president like all of the other state university presidents.”
On top of Beard’s $400,000 salary, his compensation and benefits will include living in the FAMU president's house on campus, car expenses reimbursement, an annual $5,000 for FAMU-related entertainment and travel, and club memberships.
Other components highlighted in Beard’s contract are his powers and duties, which include the oversight of all day-to-day operations at FAMU and obligations outlined in the university and Board of Governors’ regulations, policies and procedures.
Beard's contract still must be approved by the Florida Board of Governors. Its next meeting is Sept. 18 at the University of South Florida.
“I'm excited, as you probably can tell, to get back to the highest of seven hills to make a difference and to change the lives of our students so that they may be better and go to that next level in life,” Beard told trustees during the Tuesday meeting.
The contract makes it official that Beard will serve as interim president for 12 months or until the board completes a search for FAMU’s 13th president.
In addition, a section in the contract titled “Abstention from Seeking Permanent Presidency” lays out that Beard “shall not apply or be considered for the permanent position of university president” during his interim tenure.
When it comes to performance goals and incentive compensation, Beard is required to provide the board with his proposed goals and objectives for the university on or before Aug. 28, and trustees are allowed to give him a performance bonus up to 15%.
“No one person can do this alone — the president can't do it alone, and the Board of Trustees cannot do it alone,” Beard said. “We all need each other to make a difference.”
“We're committed more than ever before to instill within our students a culture of success through high expectations, letting them know that FAMU doesn't want to just be the No. 1 HBCU,” he added. “We want to be the No. 1 institution in the world. So stay tuned, and Rattlers, let's get ready to ride high.”
The terms of Beard’s contract start Aug. 5, which will be his first day in the interim role.
Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on X: @tarahjean_ .
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: It’s official: Florida A&M trustees OK Interim President Timothy Beard’s contract
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