University President Reportedly Leaving After Racial Remark

The president of the University of Florida has agreed to step down this year after causing a furor by referring to his new boss as an “Oreo,” sources said Friday.

John Lombardi, 55, will first complete some unfinished business, according to two sources in the state university system who were familiar with discussions held among Lombardi, incoming Chancellor Adam Herbert and leading members of the Board of Regents.

“It’s an understanding his future is limited, extremely limited,” said one of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

At a private Christmas party at his home Dec. 16, Lombardi, who is white, referred to Herbert, who is black, as an “Oreo.” He said Herbert was effective in dealing with whites because he was “white on the inside.”

At the time, Herbert was president of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville and was considered a top candidate to become chancellor of Florida’s public university system, which has 10 schools and 220,000 students.

Herbert, 54, starts his new job Monday as the system’s first black chancellor.

After the party, someone told Herbert of the “Oreo” remark. Lombardi wrote Herbert a letter of apology Monday, and the two men met privately.

As late as Friday morning, Lombardi’s position appeared to be secure.

“He and I have put this issue behind us,” Herbert told the Board of Regents during a meeting. “Period. Exclamation point!”

Lombardi said: “Neither one of us would allow this error on my part to end a fine relationship.”

It was only the latest run-in with the Board of Regents for Lombardi, who as president of the 42,000-student university since 1990 has been a popular figure on campus and among the alumni.

In 1995, he caused a stir when he bypassed the chancellor and went straight to state lawmakers with his ideas. The regents had wanted to present a unified front to the Legislature.

The following year, he irritated the regents by calling a policy they had approved to restrict university expansion stupid and “typical of this idiotic system.” He later apologized.