College’s chief to get $381K on sabbatical

He’ll be on call to advise new president

Broward College President David Armstrong will continue to receive his $381,000 annual salary for a year after he steps down June 30, even though he will have no specific duties, according to his recently amended contract.

Armstrong, 60, will be on a year’s sabbatical and will be paid to be available, if needed, to advise the new president and board of trustees.

The sabbatical was added to Armstrong’s contract at his request in September, three months before he announced his retirement.

Sabbaticals aren’t unusual for college presidents. Most public university presidents and at least three community college presidents in Florida have the benefit in their contracts. But experts say it’s unusual to give a president a sabbatical just before retirement. They say it’s more common for college boards to negotiate that when they’re trying to recruit or retain someone.

Armstrong’s contract mentions no specific duties during his sabbatical, saying only that he “will be available at the request of the board, interim president or new Broward College president for advice, counsel, and communications to assist in a successful transition.”

“The Board of Trustees wanted to ensure we can lean on his wealth of knowledge and expertise,” board

Chairman John Benz said. “He will offer advice, guidance and any additional support requested.”

Benz told the Board of Trustees in August that he supported the sabbatical partly because Armstrong had not had a pay increase since 2013. Trustee David Maymon said at the time that Armstrong had forgone common perks such as a housing allowance, car allowance, certain bonuses and lifetime health care.

Armstrong originally indicated he would retire in January 2020 by signing up in January 2015 for the Deferred Retirement Option Program, or DROP, which allows state employees to earn retirement benefits during the last five years they work.

Armstrong currently has about $662,000 in that plan, but his balance would rise to $1.15 million if he stays until January 2020, according to officials from the state retirement system.

College officials say Armstrong does not plan to stay at the school through the end of his five-year period. His retirement starts after his sabbatical ends, although his contract does allow him to return as a faculty member within three years of leaving the college.

In response to questions from the South Florida Sun Sentinel, college spending experts criticized the decision to pay both a new president and Armstrong. The deal comes at a time when the college is already facing financial challenges. It had to repay the federal government $5.6 million for errors in financial aid and has had to make $5.1 million in cuts due to decreased state funding and declining enrollment.

“On the face of it, it appears indefensible,” said Richard Vedder, a recently retired economics professor at Ohio University who researches college affordability and spending. “This is just a goodbye parting gift at public expense. The guy is leaving. Why give anyone money you don’t have to?”

Dominic Calabro, a Broward college alumnus who is president and CEO of Florida TaxWatch, which monitors government spending, said he’s been a fan of Armstrong’s leadership. But he doesn’t like this arrangement. He said it’s likely to cost taxpayers about $500,000 in salary and benefits for Armstrong to stay on.

“That’s roughly half a million dollars that could be spent for academic instruction, workforce preparation and other initiatives that are important to the community,” he said.

James Finkelstein, a professor emeritus of public policy at George Mason University, has studied the contracts of more than 100 college and university presidents with his colleague Judith Wilde. Finkelstein said he’s never seen a contract where the only purpose of a sabbatical is to assist the new president.

“Anecdotally, I’d say it is more likely than not that new presidents don’t particularly want to have the predecessor around — especially if they were a longserving president with deep ties to the community,” Finkelstein said. “It is human nature for people in leadership positions to want their own identity and not to be in the shadow of others.”

Benz disagrees, saying higher education organizations have recognized this kind of transitional help as a best practice.

“We have no reason to believe that a future president disregards best practice or would not want the valuable knowledge and goodwill President Armstrong could impart,” Benz said.

A new president hasn’t been selected. The board of trustees is expected to hire a firm Tuesday to conduct a national search.

At least one higher education expert said Broward College is making the right decision on Armstrong.

“It’s sort of a way of streamlining the transition from the last president to the new president,” said Terry Hartle, senior vice president for the American Council on Education, a higher education advocacy group.

Sabbaticals for administrators have come under scrutiny before in Florida.

State auditors criticized Florida A&M University in 2013 for having a contract that allowed former President James Ammons to receive a one-year paid sabbatical after he abruptly resigned. A state inspector general report that same year criticized a one-year sabbatical for Miami Dade College President Eduardo Padron.

At that time, Padron’s contract said that at the end of his contract term, “the board shall provide the president a one-year sabbatical with full pay and benefits in recognition of his many years of service to the college.”

The inspector general’s report, commissioned at the request of Gov. Rick Scott, said the sabbatical was essentially a form of severance pay, and state law caps severance pay at 20 weeks. Padron’s contract still allows a one-year sabbatical, but the language was changed so that it must be taken while he is still employed by Miami Dade College, not after he leaves.

Benz said Armstrong’s sabbatical is happening while he’s still under contract with the college. His job is to “help transition his experience, create connections and offer his 33 years of higher education historical perspective,” Benz said.

A sabbatical is also included in the contract of Ann McGee, president of Seminole State College in Sanford, just north of Orlando. That contract also allows her to stay a year after the sabbatical to do fundraising and work with retired employees, if the next president approves.

McGee said that when the contract was approved in April 2017, she had no intention of retiring. But in August that she would step down July 30.

Armstrong