The University of Akron’s new president, Matt Wilson, has a personal leadership motto: “It’s all about the students.”
His no-frills contract with UA that runs through June 30, 2019, reflects that philosophy.
No guaranteed bonuses. No huge severance. No retirement deals.
Wilson had been serving as interim president since July, shortly after embattled former President Scott Scarborough stepped down. Even though “interim” was removed from Wilson’s title on Oct. 19, he is continuing to work under mostly the same terms, a Beacon Journal examination of his new contract with UA shows.
His base salary remains at $370,000 and is subject to annual reviews by the board. Unlike his predecessors’ deals, Wilson’s contract contains no car allowance, no country club membership and no “golden parachute” if he leaves the presidency.
The university will provide memberships in clubs or social organizations such as the Rotary Club or Kiwanis, but not for a Portage Country Club membership as several of his predecessors and some of the former vice presidents received.
Wilson will not be moving into the university-owned residence, nor is the university paying his mortgage on the house where he lives in Hudson. He has two sons, 15 and 17, still in high school.
Familiar territory
Wilson is used to a bare-bones contract. When he took the job at UA as dean of the law school two years ago under then-President Luis Proenza, the university only offered him a one-year contract. His wife, Noriko, asked Wilson if he was worried about not having any guarantee beyond one year if things didn’t work out.
“I’m not worried. I love a challenge,” he said he told her. “And besides, I love teaching and thoroughly enjoy making an impact in the classroom by equipping students with knowledge and practical skills, so it would never be a problem for me to go back into the classroom.”
This time around, he said, forgoing any immediate personal financial interests provides the institution with some additional resources and flexibility.
“I still feel the same today as I did back on July 11” when named interim president, he said. “It is important to put the needs of students and UA in front of my own personal interests, particularly at this time. Hopefully, our willingness to do this has conveyed a message to all university stakeholders about the importance of keeping costs down and putting the students first while concurrently working hard to help the institution overcome the challenges before it.”
In his previous role as law school dean, his salary was $255,000, which grew to $270,000 after receiving several stipends for new college initiatives. When he became interim president, his salary increased by $100,000.
Below national average
The average total compensation of a public-college leader nationwide is $431,000, according to the July 17 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education.
If Wilson leaves before he finishes his term as president, his contract allows him to return to a full-time professor status, working nine months out of the year at a rate of 65 percent of his final salary as president. If he left this year, he would receive a salary of $240,500.
There is also a clause in Wilson’s three-page contract with one addendum that removes language that he go back to serve as dean of the law school, with the thought that the position will be filled.
Another clause allows a search for a new president, internal or external, if things don’t work out.
The provision states that the UA board of trustees can decide by June 30, 2018, whether to begin a new search for president. The board of trustees will consult groups across campus to help with that decision.
“This contract is much more modest than previous presidents,” said UA Faculty Senate President Bill Rich. “I think that’s a reflection of who he is. I don’t think he wanted those kinds of things and I think he made that clear to the board.”
Scarborough’s contract was far more lucrative.
Scarborough had a five-year contract with an annual salary of $450,000 with the possibility of up to $160,000 in yearly bonuses, a $1,500 a month car allowance, a membership to the Portage Country Club and the unusual benefit of the right to send his children to any public university in Ohio for both undergraduate and graduate school on UA’s dime.
When Scarborough stepped down as president after less than two years, he had the option to be paid his full salary this year with benefits, but instead chose the other option to teach and collect 65 percent of his salary, or $292,500 annually for the next five years, or until 2021. He has a doctorate in strategic management and is teaching three classes in the College of Business Administration.
Proenza’s deal
Proenza, Scarborough’s predecessor, also had a contract with higher pay and more perks than Wilson’s.
The former biology professor is also teaching at UA and working on a special project for an annual salary of $325,000. His contract also allowed him a two-year sabbatical for which he was paid $500,000. He received an annual stipend (not paid by UA) of $50,000 in addition to his salary. He lived in the president’s house throughout his presidency from 1999 to 2014. When he left after 15 years, his salary was $500,000.
The house had not been renovated during Proenza’s stay.
Scarborough received $80,000 in deferred compensation for housing while he and his family stayed in a hotel when the university spent $951,000 to renovate the university-owned French country home in West Akron for him, his wife and daughter, and his wife’s parents.
The board has not yet determined its plans for the vacant property.
The $556 olive jar purchased for the president’s house during the renovation became a symbol of misplaced priorities and the focus of many protests.
The jar, which remains in the house, is located in the master bedroom.
The olive jar had a life of its own with a Facebook page and a Twitter handle. The Facebook page had 1,650 followers. The olive jar’s online accounts were officially shut down after Scarborough’s resignation.
Marilyn Miller can be reached at 330-996-3098 or mmiller@thebeaconjournal.com.