Florida Memorial lays off four tenured professors, discontinues 16 degree programs

Lawyer says, 'There was no cause for terminating any of them. There was no discipline, no notice.'

After being placed on yearlong probation in July by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), Florida Memorial University (FMU) is taking drastic measures to address financial issues in order to keep its accreditation for the fall 2022 semester — including discontinuing 16 degree programs and eliminating the positions of at least four tenured professors.

“I’ve never seen it happen before,” attorney Randy Fleisher says of the latter move.

Fleisher is representing four tenured professors at FMU that were notified they’ll be out of a job come May: Richard Yaklich, Abbass Entessari, William Hopper, and Telahun Desalegne.

“There was no cause for terminating any of them,” the lawyer adds. “There was no discipline, no notice. It’s just thank you, see you later, we’re eliminating your departments.”

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