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Amid Furor Over ‘Gift,’ U. of Central Arkansas Buys Out President’s Contract

September 2, 2011, 7:05 pm

The University of Central Arkansas has lost its second president in a row to scandal. The university’s Board of Trustees announced this afternoon that it had bought out the contract of the president, Allen C. Meadors, who aroused a storm of controversy this week for failing to let the full board know about the strings attached to a $700,000 “gift” from Aramark, the university’s food-service vendor. The money, which was to be used for renovations of the president’s house, had been offered in return for a renewal of Aramark’s contract. Mr. Meadors and the board chairman, who also knew about the quid pro quo but regarded it as a routine arrangement, both apologized, but it was not enough to save Mr. Meadors’s job.

The board named the university’s general counsel, Tom Courtway, as interim president. Mr. Meadors’s predecessor as president, Luther (Lu) Hardin, resigned in 2008 amid a furor over a secret bonus the board awarded to him, and later pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with it.

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  • goxewu

    “The money, which was to be used for renovations of the president’s
    house, had been offered in return for a renewal of Aramark’s contract.”

    Kids, can you spell b-r-i-b-e?

  • maizeg

    Sadly, as most presidents know, this is standard practice throughout the academy. As contractual terms reach their close, service companies offering a “gift” that is attached to a renewal of their contract minus any open bidding. Why did the Board Chair not resign? Presidents typically communicate through the Board Chair with whom they have ongoing contact.  Boards are updated during meetings, which occur only three or four times a year.

  • galapagos

    Getting rid of presidents hired by this Board are not going to solve the problem. Isn’t this a public institution? Go up the ladder. Need to change out the board and give new members some basic training in ethics, then back it up with compliance audits.  Otherwise, just look for another naughty president who also will take the blame for bad behavior someone on the board will approve.

  • standard_deviation

    This article misses a key point: “The board will pay Meadors his current salary through June 30, 2012. He
    will receive $337,000 with private money for 18 more months. Meadors
    will stay on university insurance through June 30, 2012. His car
    allowance will end Oct. 1.  He will also receive sick days and annual
    leave that have been accrued.”

    In other words, because he accepted a bribe, he gets paid handsomely not to work at all. If only faculty had such opportunities!

  • bhay9341

    Standard_deviation hits the nail on the head!  Why wasn’t this guy terminated with no buy out?  Would love to see how his contract was written.

  • cwinton

    Sounds like a thorough house cleaning is needed, starting with the Board of Trustees.  Apparently no one in Arkansas is minding the store.

  • 12100026

    The reason the guy was not terminated without a buy out is because that is his incentive to not implicate board members in the scandal.  Taking the hit for the team means getting paid to do nothing for two years.  Without the buy out, he might just display the dirty laundry. 

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