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At University of Oklahoma, six vice presidents received more than $800,000 in retention payments

Incredibly, the school actually has *more* than six vice presidents

Half a dozen vice presidents at the University of Oklahoma pulled down nearly $1 million in retention payments over a three-year period, a number almost as staggering as the fact that the school has so many vice presidents to begin with.

Nondoc reported last week that former university President David Boren, in the leadup to his retirement in 2018, negotiated more than $800,000 in “retention incentive” payments for six high-ranking vice presidents at the school. The arrangement actually “authorized what could have been more than $1 million in payments,” though not all of those were ever paid out.

In at least two cases, significant payments were also arranged for administrators who were fired by another university president:

[D]uring his first day in office…subsequent OU President Jim Gallogly terminated the employment of one recipient immediately: Vice President of Administration and Finance Nick Hathaway. Gallogly dismissed a second — Vice President of University Development Tripp Hall — four months later. Hall later came under state investigation for a rape allegation made by an OU student, and he has been sued along with OU by a University Club employee for an allegation of sexual battery…

Under the terms of OU’s “executive administration program,” the firings of Hathaway and Hall each triggered “a one-time lump sum payment” equal to their annual university salaries at the time of removal. But only Hathaway received the payment, with his total payouts from the program equaling $392,170. Hathaway’s separation payment accounted for $301,669 of that amount and was not paid by private funds, according to OU.

At the time of his termination, Hall’s base salary was $226,080, but his attorney and OU said Hall did not receive the termination lump sum previously approved by regents.

Hall, Hathaway and other vice presidents have at various times also received retention payments totaling 15 percent of their six-figure salaries. The university’s Vice President and General Counsel Anil Gollahalli, meanwhile, receives a structured incentive payment of “annual pension deposits equal to 15 percent of his salary in perpetuity of his employment,” as does the school’s Vice President of University Governance Chris Purcell.

The school has a total of 15 vice presidents across several campuses.

Read the report here.

(h/t The Oklahoma Daily)

MORE: University to spend $275k to hire ‘vice president of community, equity and inclusive excellence’

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