U. Florida president agrees to resign after racial slur

Lombardi will remain at UF following the disclosure of a slur he made toward Chancellor Adam Herbert, but not in the capacity of its highest-ranked administrative leader, said Steve Uhlfelder, chairman of the Florida Board of Regents.

Lombardi called the first Black chancellor of Florida's State University System an "Oreo."

Uhlfelder said Lombardi will stay at UF as the head of an academic institute, most likely in the area of Latin American Studies, which is one of Lombardi's academic areas of expertise.

He will retain his current salary $238,000 for one year, after which time he will receive 10 percent pay cuts for three years, Uhlfelder said.

Uhlfelder said the board of regents, the 14-member panel that oversees Florida's public universities, are waiting for Lombardi to decide exactly when he will resign.

"It's been terrible. I've agonized over this," Uhlfelder said of the "gentleman's agreement" that still is in the works. "It's been hard on me and Dr. Lombardi, but I believe this will be the best thing."

Lombardi would not comment Monday on the verbal agreement, which Uhlfelder said they discussed Friday.

But on Friday, in an exclusive interview with the Independent Florida Alligator, UF's student newspaper, Lombardi denied that he had made any such promise to the board of regents.

"(The media) can talk all they want to, and we'll see what happens," Lombardi said in his office. "I haven't agreed or disagreed to anything."

Before publicly announcing the agreement Monday, Uhlfelder had said it was Lombardi's decision if he wanted to resign and that it was "primarily in (Lombardi's) hands."

However, when informed of this remark Friday, Lombardi hesitated before responding, "I find that - interesting."

Lombardi has had a notoriously rocky past with the board of regents. In 1995, he received an outraged letter from Regent James Heekin, who suggested Lombardi's position was in danger, after Lombardi submitted a proposal to the Florida Legislature without consulting the board of regents. A year later, Lombardi called a board of regents' policy restricting statewide university expansion "stupid" and "typical of this idiotic system."

Ulhfelder indicated that this shaky relationship may have factored into Lombardi's agreement to resign.

"I don't think he's been comfortable working in this environment," he said. "I don't think he's enjoyed the relationship."

On the same note, the board of regents have not wasted any time moving on. They are already looking for Lombardi's replacement.

Uhlfelder would not disclose who is being considered to serve as interim president or when the person would enter office. He expressed confidence in the yet-to-be-named replacement.

"Anytime you have change, it's not easy, but I think we'll have a worthy successor," he said.

In the meantime, several possible replacements have been suggested by close sources. They include E.T. York, interim UF president from 1973 to 1974 and SUS chancellor from 1975 to 1980. Also suggested is former UF President Marshall Criser, who served before Lombardi and left in March 1989 following several controversies with UF Athletics.

Also named by sources were Karen Holbrook, UF Graduate School dean, Dr. David Challoner, UF vice president for health affairs and UF Vice Provost Gene Hemp.

York said Monday he doubts "very seriously I'd be interested if there was (an offer)."

Criser said he would "have to think about it if the opportunity arose," adding he has not been contacted by the board of regents.

Holbrook, Hemp and Challoner were not available for comment Monday.