SAN FRANCISCO “”mdash; Thursday the UC Board of Regents wrapped
up the ongoing executive compensation scandal, retroactively
approving previously unauthorized benefits for over 70 university
employees.
The compensation scandal came to light last year when the San
Francisco Chronicle reported a number of benefits packages that
were offered to high-level university employees without the
regents’ approval.
Offering these benefits packages violated university policies
established in 1992 after the UC faced a similar scandal by
providing high-level employees with lavish compensation
packages.
This time around the scandal was about the procedure of
approving the compensation rather than the actual amount of
money.
“The issue here is regental approval, not the
compensation,” Regent Judith Hopkins said at the meeting
Thursday.
Regent Gerald Parsky recognized, however, that members of the
public do perceive the compensations doled out by the UC to be
excessive, but said the regents would likely have approved the
amount at the time because many on the board believe the amount is
appropriate.
“If (the regents) had been given the opportunity to
approve the compensations previously we could have debated them
already," Parsky said.
But university officials maintain that the compensation levels
are actually lower than market value, and stand by their decisions
to approve them after the fact.
Senior managers at the UC are paid 16.5 percent less than
officials in similar positions at competitor universities, Hopkins
said.
And Parsky added that the UC is "prepared to defend the
compensation levels.”
Wednesday the board approved only a portion of the benefits
packages under question, and will continue committee meetings to
examine each unauthorized compensation package.
So far, only one high-ranking official will need to repay
money.
UC San Diego Chancellor Marye Anne Fox received a $240,000
payment for a sabbatical period she earned at her previous
university, but was unable to take because she came to the UC. The
university agreed to compensate Fox for her missed sabbatical, but
yesterday the regents decided that she will be crediting the funds
back to the UC when she takes her next available sabbatical.