Henderson State's contract offers to VPs who came under fire from faculty stirs confusion

Henderson State University President Glen Jones has offered new contracts to three vice presidents who came under fire from tenured faculty members and told them in writing that the board of trustees had approved that action during a May 18 meeting, even though the board did not publicly discuss those positions then.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette learned of the contract offers, made in letters dated May 31 to the vice presidents, on Wednesday in response to a request under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.

The board had a lengthy executive, or closed, session to discuss personnel during its May 18 meeting. But Chairman Bruce Moore said afterward that the trustees took no action during the session. He also said later that any decision on the vice presidents' jobs was up to the president, not the board.

State law requires that any action taken in an executive session must in turn be voted on in public.

Moore and university spokesman Tina Hall gave differing explanations Wednesday for the confusion over what led to the contracts, which followed a no-confidence vote by tenured faculty who said the three vice presidents should be removed from office.

Those vice presidents and their salaries are Brett Powell, who oversees finance and administration, $175,000; Steve Adkison, the provost who oversees academic affairs, $170,873; and Jennifer Boyett, who heads university advancement, $119,340. The salaries are the same as those for the current fiscal year, Hall said. Powell and Boyett already have signed their contracts.

[DOCUMENT: Read president's letters to vice presidents + their contracts]

In the letter to Powell, Jones began, "I am pleased to notify you that the Board of Trustees, at its meeting held on May 18, 2018, approved your reappointment to Vice President for Finance and Administration ... for the 2018-2019 fiscal year."

The letters to Boyett and Adkison opened similarly.

Moore took issue with Jones' statement about the board's involvement.

"That's very inaccurate and misleading," Moore said Wednesday. "They [the vice presidents' contracts] weren't discussed" during the May meeting.

Moore said Jones' letters apparently included language that was "consistent" with past letters "for quite some time."

"I've directed the president and the general counsel to change that language going forward," Moore said. "The only person who should get" such language about the board's approving a contract is the president, he said.

Earlier Wednesday, Hall had noted in an email to the Democrat-Gazette that the board had approved the school's budget for the coming fiscal year in the May meeting.

"Employment contracts are dependent upon budget approval and are issued after the Board of Trustees authorizes the budget," Hall said.

But Moore said, "We approve the position as far as the budget is concerned. It's the president's job to hire and fire the vice presidents of the university."

Moore said the president and the general counsel now agree with him.

Told of the contract offers, faculty senate member Carolyn Eoff said she was disappointed but "not surprised."

On the lack of communication with faculty members about the decision, she said, "It's in line with the way they do things."

In May, tenured faculty members approved a vote of no confidence in the university's administration. The faculty said the board should give Jones a one-year provisional contract and dismiss the three vice presidents immediately.

The board has not acted on Jones' contract.

Trustee Brown Hardman said Wednesday that, to his knowledge, the board did not vote on the three vice presidents' contracts during the executive session. As for the budget, he noted that he and one other trustee did not vote on it. He said he abstained because he hadn't seen the proposed budget earlier.

State Desk on 06/28/2018