Trustees OK $506K for UCF’s new president
Whittaker to be paid similar salary to Hitt
Dale Whittaker, selected last Friday to lead University of Central Florida, will earn a base salary of $506,000, similar to that of current President John Hitt.
The Board of Trustees unanimously approved Whittaker’s contract as president Tuesday morning. In addition to his base pay, Whittaker will receive an $800-per-month car allowance, moving expenses and deferred compensation of 20 percent of his salary. He’s eligible for additional pay based on the university’s performance, including factors such as graduation rates, retention rates and donations.
Hitt, who plans to retire June 30 after 26 years as president received a base salary of $515,844. Most of the details of Whittaker’s agreement are similar to Hitt’s contract, trustees said.
Under state law, university presidents must not receive more than $200,000 in public
funds. The rest must come from other sources, such as a university’s foundation.
Whittaker, 56, is currently a provost at UCF and receives $461,352 annually in base pay. His appointment to the top post is not official until he is confirmed by the state’s Board of Governors, which oversees the public university system. That is set to happen March 29.
During Tuesday’s brief meeting, trustees said Whittaker’s pay was in line with other top state universities. He will have the third-highest base salary in the state university system, behind the leaders of University of Florida and Florida State University, based on data from the 2016-2017 fiscal year compiled by the Board of Governors.
Whittaker is also required by his contract to live in the Burnett House in the southwest corner of campus at the university’s expense. UCF is to provide staff who will handle groundskeeping, repairs, housekeeping services and maintenance of the home as well as cover all related expenses, including utilities.
The contract also spells out what happens if Whittaker or the trustees decide his presidency isn’t working out: If Whittaker is fired for a cause outlined in his contract, including being convicted of a felony, falsifying records or becoming embroiled in scandal, he’s no longer entitled to any pay. If the university decides to terminate Whittaker without cause, he’s entitled to receive a lump sum payment equal to 20 weeks of base salary or return to a faculty position at a salary of 85 percent his base salary.
Whittaker can also choose to step down on his own and become a faculty member, and receive 85 percent of his base salary. In that case, he can also spend the next academic year on sabbatical.
On Friday, trustees selected Whittaker over three other finalists, all from other universities, concluding a search that spanned nearly four months with more than 40 applicants.
Feedback collected by the university about each of the candidates yielded a mix of positive and negative comments.
“My experience with Dale Whittaker in his role as Provost is that he has been accessible and welcoming,” one faculty member wrote. “He’s very personable. I would expect to see this personality trait transfer over to his role as president if selected and this would be beneficial for fundraising. Dale is not afraid of change and has led many initiatives that have gotten UCF started on useful paths.”
A few raised concerns that Whittaker was the trustees’ choice all along and the search was just for show.
“In actions he has made UCF more bureaucratic, less innovative, more obstructionist that anyone in our history,” another faculty member wrote. “He did the political thing: had prepared answers to work into any question. Failed to even consider that we are graduating students that cannot do simple arithmetic, often work at jobs needing no education. Students who are good at picking out the right answer on a multiple choice exam, but unable to think and reason.”
Others saw Whittaker’s familiarity with the university as a plus.
“UCF should stay in its roots, who better to lead the university than someone who has experienced life in the university?” one student wrote. “I’m all for bringing in new people but for a position like this ... keep it in the family.”