North Dakota’s State Board of Higher Education unanimously approved a severance agreement today with Robert L. Potts, who resigned last month as chancellor of the state’s university system. Under the agreement, Mr. Potts will serve as a consultant to the system, the board, and his successor for a year in exchange for a continuation of his current salary of more than $200,000 in pay and benefits.

Mr. Potts announced he was resigning after a dispute over his authority as chancellor (The Chronicle, July 3).

Mr. Potts, who will leave office on July 31, will serve as a consultant on a range of issues, including the presidential searches at Bismarck State College and Mayville State University. If an interim chancellor has not been picked by August 1, the board may ask Mr. Potts to extend his term as chancellor until the selection has been made. The search committee expects to have its pool of nine candidates narrowed down to one or two by the end of its meeting on Tuesday, according to local news reports.