By AMIR KURTOVIC
Former Webster University President Richard Meyers’ pay and expenses, recently reported by The Journal, prompted meetings between the administration, faculty and staff to discuss budget issues and transparency.
Five faculty members, one representing each school, met with President Elizabeth Stroble, Mark Burkhart, chair of the Board of Trustees, and Ed Glotzbach, a former trustee chair, on Oct. 8. The 90-minute meeting produced new information regarding issues raised by The Journal article, which focused on Meyers’ steep pay increases and unanswered questions about his expenses.
The faculty representatives at the meeting were John Aleshunas, associate professor in the math and computer science department; Glen Bauer, associate professor in the music department; Scott Jensen, a professor in the communications and journalism department; Ralph Olliges, associate professor in the multidisciplinary studies department; and Gwyneth Williams, professor in the history, politics and international relations department.
“We wanted to know two things,” said Olliges, the new Faculty Senate chair. “One, why the salary jumped so high in a relatively short period of time from year to year. And two, about the expense account and if there were any improprieties.”
During the meeting, it was revealed that Meyers’ compensation package included a possible bonus, up to 50 percent of his base salary, dependent on hitting certain goals such as growth in the number of students, growth in endowment, financial integrity and growth in the number of campuses, nationally and internationally.
“Dr. Meyers did have a base salary, as well as the ability to make performance compensation, based upon goals and objectives,” said Mark Burkhart, chair of the Board of Trustees, in a phone interview with The Journal before the meeting with faculty.
Burkhart added that the bonus could account for some of the pay increases reflected in the 990 tax documents, but was not certain.
“That’s the part that really concerns a lot of the faculty,” Olliges said. “Does it make sense academically to expand? If it does, then we should be doing that. If it doesn’t make sense to expand, then why are we doing that? To simply provide someone a bonus?”
In the past, faculty members have voiced concerns about too much global expansion and the possibility of depriving the home campus of needed improvements.
In an e-mail sent to faculty following the meeting on Oct. 9, Olliges wrote that Meyer’s pay increases were partly attributable to changes in IRS rules which required deferred compensation, such as 401k contributions, to be reported as income.
“In the past it was not shown unless it was withdrawn,” Olliges wrote. “Now, it must be shown as part of the base salary. This makes it appear that Dr. Meyers had a huge jump in salary.”
Another issue addressed at the meeting was Meyer’s expenses. In his last nine years at WU, Meyer’s averaged about $75,000 annually in expenses. Most of the money was spent on travel.
“Him and his wife went on trips to Europe,” Olliges said. “Oftentimes, a spouse is expected to accompany the president. The rules changed and you could not claim the entire trip as expenses. And so therefore the board insisted that he pay back the airfare for his wife.”
John Aleshunas saw the meeting as a positive step in the right direction.
“I saw this as an outreach from the new president of the university, the new chair of the Board of Trustees, and Ed Glotzbach, the former chair, that they want to change the overall way of doing business,” Aleshunas said. “In the past, the Board was isolated from the main university, be it students, faculty, or staff members. They want to create channels of communication.”
While the meeting was productive, the faculty representatives still had unanswered questions afterward. Both sides agreed that the best way to proceed was to hold a public forum with Burkhart and Stroble, allowing the faculty to get more clarification on the issues and providing an opportunity for the president and the Board of Trustees to share their ideas and plans with the faculty. The date and time for the forum have not yet been determined, but Olliges believes it will likely occur in November.
President Stroble and Board of Trustees representatives also met with the Webster Staff Alliance (WSA), an organization representing full-time and part-time WU employees on Monday, Oct 12. Caprice Moore, chair of the WSA, would not comment on the specifics discussed at the meeting or who was present, as staff members had not yet been sent an e-mail to notify them about it.
