Florida A&M University received a whopping $237 million gift Saturday afternoon from the Issac Batterson 7th Family Trust and Chief Executive Officer Gregory Gerami.
The generous donation was handed to FAMU President Larry Robinson in the form of a large check during Saturday’s 2 p.m. commencement ceremony at the Al Lawson Center, where Gerami — founder of the farming company Batterson Farms Corporation — was the keynote speaker.
Discussions about the donation were in the works for the past six months, and the grand amount represents the largest single personal donation to FAMU — a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) — in its 136-year history. It also is almost double FAMU’s existing endowment and one of the largest donations in HBCU history.
A $100 million gift to Spelman College in January dubbed it the largest single donation ever to an HBCU, according to the Atlanta, Georgia-based women’s liberal arts institution.
As the money will support academic initiatives, student success and athletics, it adds to the FAMU Foundation’s current endowment value of $160 million and will bring it up to nearly $400 million.
“This gift is breathtaking in its generosity and its scope,” Robinson said in a prepared statement. “It changes the narrative about what is possible for FAMU. I cannot thank Gregory Gerami and the Issac Batterson 7th Family Trust enough. Their names are now etched into the annals of Florida A&M University in perpetuity.”
In fall 2023, Gerami reached out to the FAMU Office of University Advancement about the sizable donation, saying that the university’s mission, direction and research capabilities in the area of hemp production strongly aligned with the work and goals of his farming company.
“FAMU has become like a family to our trust, our company and to me,” Gerami said in a statement. “Our morals and our mission are in line with FAMU and FAMU’s mission. It’s also about making sure that we set FAMU on the path to being the top HBCU in this country.”
Gerami is also a pioneer in producing and selling high-quality hemp seeds. He says he did not attend FAMU or graduate from college, but he started off his career by building a landscaping business and has also worked in property management and economic development consulting before establishing his farming company.
He spoke to graduates from FAMU colleges and schools that include the School of Business and Industry and the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering during Saturday’s ceremony.
The crowd of students and loved ones cheered loudly after Gerami gave his commencement speech but cheered even louder after hearing the unexpected announcement.
After overcoming physical challenges during childhood, Gerami has had the desire to help students who face similar obstacles — which is why FAMU’s Center for Disability Access & Resources (CeDAR), which serves about 700 students, is one of the programs that will benefit from the donation.
Vice president for University Advancement and executive director of the FAMU Foundation Shawnta Friday-Stroud was involved in many meetings with Gerami to make the anticipated donation a reality.
During a news conference after the Saturday commencement ceremony, Friday-Stroud told the Tallahassee Democrat that Gerami and the family trust have already transferred stocks in the amount of $237,750,000 to the FAMU Foundation’s account, and the university holds certificates for those stocks.
“I cannot thank Mr. Gregory Gerami enough for his beyond transformational gift to Florida A&M University,” Friday-Stroud said in a prepared statement. “It will forever elevate FAMU’s tradition of excellence and change the lives of Rattlers yet unborn.”
About $100 million will go toward FAMU Athletics and will be used for initiatives including student-athlete endowment funds and a $24 million Galimore-Powell Athletic Fieldhouse project, which will expand the space to have club-level suites for corporate partnership meetings.
“This is really a monument when you think about the impact it will have on FAMU Athletics,” FAMU Vice President and Athletic Director Tiffani-Dawn Sykes said Saturday.
The $237 million donation will also help FAMU in providing student scholarships while also recruiting top students and faculty.
In addition to the university’s leadership team, FAMU Board of Trustees Chair Kristin Harper was also present at the news conference, where she held back tears as she pondered on the difference the financial gift will make in the lives of thousands of students.
“This is transformative, and it’s almost unbelievable. I have to pinch myself just hearing about this and thinking about how it will help the students FAMU serves,” Harper said.
Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on X: @tarahjean_.
