Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University President James Ammons resigned Wednesday following a hazing death and several other issues.
FAMU drum major Robert Champion, 26, died in November after being beaten by his bandmates in a hazing ritual.
It was later discovered that more than 100 members of the band weren’t FAMU students. Other problems the university has lately faced are an investigation of fraud in the band’s finances and issues with accreditation and graduation rates, according to Alligator archives.
Parents, students and administrators have been calling for Ammons’ resignation for months. In June, he received a vote of no confidence from FAMU’s Board of Trustees.
Ammons will officially leave his position Oct. 11.
“I am determined to move all of the major challenges toward resolution and move our university toward success,” he wrote in a letter to FAMU’s Board of Trustees. “When the next president experiences her or his transition in, she or he will very likely find additional challenges, albeit not nearly to the extent of that which l faced at the outset, or those I am now facing.”
Board of Governors chairman Dean Colson said in a statement that the Board of Governors has committed to assist FAMU’s Board of Trustees in resolving those issues.
Contact Erin Jester at ejester@alligator.org.
