Florida A&M, a dubious donor and $237M: The transformative HBCU gift that wasn’t what it seemed
Associated Press
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Lee Hall sits atop the hill at the Florida A&M University campus in Tallahassee, Fla., Thursday, June 6, 2024. $237 million donation to FAMU was promised by Gregory Gerami, a 30-year-old who called himself Texas youngest African American industrial hemp producer, but everything was not what it seemed and the donation is now in limbo. Gerami maintains that everything will work out, but FAMU is not the only small university that has engaged with his major donation proposals only to see them go nowhere. (AP Photo/Mark Wallheiser)The Florida A&M University campus is seen in Tallahassee, Fla., Thursday, June 6, 2024. $237 million donation to FAMU was promised by Gregory Gerami, a 30-year-old who called himself Texas youngest African American industrial hemp producer, but everything was not what it seemed and the donation is now in limbo. Gerami maintains that everything will work out, but FAMU is not the only small university that has engaged with his major donation proposals only to see them go nowhere. (AP Photo/Mark Wallheiser)A large mascot of a rattlesnake is on display in front of the student success center at the Florida A&M University campus in Tallahassee, Fla., Thursday, June 6, 2024. $237 million donation to FAMU was promised by Gregory Gerami, a 30-year-old who called himself Texas youngest African American industrial hemp producer, but everything was not what it seemed and the donation is now in limbo. Gerami maintains that everything will work out, but FAMU is not the only small university that has engaged with his major donation proposals only to see them go nowhere. (AP Photo/Mark Wallheiser)
Lee Hall sits atop the hill at the Florida A&M University campus in Tallahassee, Fla., Thursday, June 6, 2024. $237 million donation to FAMU was promised by Gregory Gerami, a 30-year-old who called himself Texas youngest African American industrial hemp producer, but everything was not what it seemed and the donation is now in limbo. Gerami maintains that everything will work out, but FAMU is not the only small university that has engaged with his major donation proposals only to see them go nowhere. (AP Photo/Mark Wallheiser)