TSU board wants to ax its top lawyer and end a $1.7M deal with former president
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Tennessee State University's board wants the institution's new leader to fire his top lawyer, who has been with the university since 2011, and to terminate agreements to keep former president Glenda Glover on the payroll.
Why it matters: The board's dramatic action on Friday comes as TSU is plunging off an economic cliff. State leaders have had to give the historically Black university millions in emergency funds to keep its doors open.
- Even with the help, administrators are still scrambling to navigate a looming $46.1 million budget shortfall.
State of play: Multiple reviews conducted by the state and outside auditors have blamed the school's budget crunch on bad decisions made under Glover's leadership.
- Despite that, the university agreed to a massive payout for Glover when she stepped down last summer.
Zoom in: The Tennessean reports Glover's agreement called for $850,000 in transition payments in addition to an annual salary of $212,500 for four years to serve as president emeritus, an honorary title given to recognize a former president after retirement. The total cash value of the agreements was $1.7 million.
- The newspaper reports Glover's position of president emeritus would include fundraising, lectures and meeting with stakeholders. It came with an assistant, a parking spot and access to TSU's suite at Nissan Stadium during Titans games.
- TSU general counsel Laurence Pendleton, the university's top lawyer, would have been central to drafting and reviewing those agreements.
The latest: TSU board chair Dakasha Winton introduced the recommendations to fire Pendleton and sever Glover's contract on Friday, concluding a two-day board meeting that focused heavily on the university's money problems.
- Pendleton, who also serves as board secretary, was at the table when the board unanimously agreed that interim president Ronald Johnson should fire him.
- Winton said she expects action on those recommendations by end of day Monday.
What she's saying: "We will continue to take decisive action so that we can end 2024 on the strongest footing possible and begin 2025 with the hope and intent that we are prepared for whatever comes before us," Winton said.