New CSU president's contract requires chancellor's OK for hiring, firing of provost, deans
Colorado State University’s new president, Amy Parsons, will have to receive the approval of CSU System Chancellor Tony Frank before appointing or removing senior executive officers, including vice presidents and deans, under the terms of her five-year employment contract that was finalized over the weekend.
That language was not in the employment contract of Joyce McConnell, the former president of CSU’s main campus in Fort Collins who resigned under pressure last June.
"Presidents have always needed chancellor approval for senior-level personnel changes," the Board of Governors said through a spokesperson. "The board took action to clarify its chancellor and presidents policy on these matters on Aug. 6, 2021, and President Parsons’ employment agreement acknowledges those updates."
Parsons, 48, is scheduled to assume office Feb. 1, replacing Rick Miranda, who has served as interim president of the Fort Collins campus since July 1. The contract runs through Jan. 31, 2028.
McConnell’s original employment contract required the university to pay her base salary along with accrued vacation, personal and sick leave and retirement benefits through the duration of the contract if she were terminated "without just cause." As a result, the the Board of Governors agreed to pay her $1.57 million minus “any necessary withholding” in the separation agreement that ended that contract early.
Parsons would only be entitled to her base salary through the end of her contract if she were terminated early "without just cause."
Parsons’ base pay of $600,000 is $50,000 more than McConnell received in the first year of the five-year deal she signed in 2019.
More:What we know about Amy Parsons, the sole finalist to become CSU's next president
Not included in Parsons' contract, as it was in McConnell's, is an agreement that the president would also hold a tenured faculty position while serving and could continue to hold it after leaving the president’s office. Both Parsons and McConnell hold juris doctor degrees from law schools, but Parsons' previous experience in higher education leadership was in operations, not in academics, as McConnell's was.
All other terms and provisions of Parsons’ contract match those of McConnell’s, including reimbursement of up to $27,500 for relocation expenses to reside in the university-owned Magnolia House, where she will be expected to host official functions, a $1,000-a-month vehicle allowance and membership at a country club or social club for “use in connection with university business.”
Parsons is relocating from Broomfield but told the Coloradoan she doesn't plan to move the rest of her family to Fort Collins full-time until summer 2024, following her youngest daughter's graduation from high school.
Parsons, a former vice chancellor of the CSU system and executive vice president of university operations on the Fort Collins campus, was hired Dec. 16 following what the Board of Governors said was a comprehensive nationwide search.
Her selection drew praise from business leaders across the state who cited her previous experience with CSU and work on major public-private partnerships and background as a Colorado native, CSU graduate and parent of a current undergraduate student.
Parsons' contract, like McConnell’s original employment contract and subsequent separation agreement, includes a nondisparagement clause preventing her, board members or other university officials from providing additional comment following her employment.
McConnell was the first female president in the history of CSU’s Fort Collins campus, which was founded in 1870 — six years before Colorado became a state. Parsons, CSU's 16th president, will be the second.
Upon accepting the offer to become president of the CSU-Fort Collins campus, Parsons told the Coloradoan that one of her top priorities would be the hiring of a strong provost to oversee the academic mission and functions of the university. Her contract will require Frank’s approval of her selection for that position and others at the highest levels of the CSU Fort Collins administration.
Contract states that campus president reports to chancellor
As outlined in the employment agreement, Parsons acknowledges specific Board of Governors policies that “describe the various roles and responsibilities of the campus presidents and the chancellor, and the executive (Parsons) acknowledges and understands that as president of the university, the executive reports to the chancellor.
“Further, the executive understands and agrees to comply with Board Policy 122, which describes how the board has delegated to the chancellor final authority to approve appointments and terminations of university senior executive officers, such as vice presidents, deans, and other direct reports to the president.”
Many faculty and staff members expressed concern that Parsons was selected as president because of her close ties to Frank, who was president of the Fort Collins campus and later chancellor of the system during her previous employment by CSU.
McConnell hired a provost and several vice presidents and other high-level positions within her administration during her first year on the job. Although it was not spelled out in her contract, CSU System spokesperson Tiana Kennedy said Monday night that those hires all received the required approval from Frank.
without a requirement for approval by the chancellor or Board of Governors.
Frank was president of CSU's Fort Collins campus from 2008 through June 2019, serving in a dual role as system chancellor from 2015 to 2019 before moving into the chancellor's role full-time beginning July 1, 2019. He previously had served as CSU's provost and executive vice president, vice president for research, chair of the pathology department and associate dean for research in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
Reporter Kelly Lyell covers education and other topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@coloradoan.com, twitter.com/KellyLyell or facebook.com/KellyLyell.news.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Here's what's in new CSU president Amy Parsons' contract
