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Dunn Agrees to Step Down as YSU President March 21
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Randy J. Dunn will step down as president of Youngstown State University March 21 and move out of the presidential residence, Pollock House, within the following 30 days.
Under the separation agreement he reached with YSU trustees Wednesday night, Dunn will be paid his salary until the 21st and the university will pay his health insurance, or Cobra, until June 30 “unless he is eligible for other coverage prior to that date,” a university spokesman said.
Moreover, in keeping with university policy, “Dunn will be eligible to receive payment for unused vacation leave. There will be no other financial payouts,” the spokesman said.
Dunn is scheduled to begin his term as president of Southern Illinois University July 1.
“This agreement allows all of us at the university to put this situation behind us and to concentrate on the future,” said Sudershan Garg, chairman of the board of trustees. "This is the best approach the board thought to be appropriate at this stage."
Garg described as "very amicable" the negotiations between Dunn and the university.
The provost, Ikram Khawaja, will return to the university March 17 from Pakistan, where he is visiting family, and become interim president upon Dunn’s departure, giving Dunn only four days to bring the provost up to date.
When questioned about the "transition memo" called for in Dunn's separation agreement, Garg said, "I think most of the things are in writing but he still has to explain everything -- what is on the front burner, what is on the back burner."
Last summer Khawaja, YSU's chief academic officer, served two weeks as interim president between Cynthia Anderson’s retirement June 30 and Dunn’s arrival July 15.
The trustees reconvened to approve the separation agreement following a two-hour, 15-minute executive session to workout the terms of Dunn’s departure. After only seven months in office, Dunn resigned Feb. 17, giving the 180-day notice required under his three-year employment contract.
He and the general counsel of the university, Holly Jacobs, met with trustees in executive session but Dunn left before they reconvened to return to his office on the second floor of Tod Hall. He did not sit with the trustees upon their reconvening to open session and through the university’s spokesman subsequently declined comment.
In meeting with reporters, Garg said Dunn’s early exit would “save YSU five months of his salary” of $375,000 a year.
The trustees returned to executive session to discuss the search for Dunn’s successor. “Hopefully we’ll have a new president by June 30,” Garg said, but if not, the trustees are prepared to hire an interim president because Khawaja retires that date.
Upon his return to campus, trustees will discuss Khawaja’s compensation as interim president, Garg said.
Foremost in the minds of the reporters was the campaign to draft the former head football coach at YSU, who led the Penguins to four national championships and took them to six championship games before leaving to become head football coach at The Ohio State University.
The Curbstone Coaches are the latest group to endorse Tressel as the ninth president of Youngstown State. Their letter to trustees follows endorsements of Tressel by U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan and a group of area business leaders (READ STORY), and an endorsement letter signed by 20 trustees of the YSU Foundation (READ STORY).
Garg iterated his, and the trustees’ earlier position. "We would like him to apply for the position and he could be a good president for YSU," he said.
Meanwhile, YSU's Academic Senate approved a resolution Wednesday afternoon that urges trustees to include more faculty and students in the presidential search process.
Last week, the board agreed to engage the services of AGB Search Inc. of Washington, D.C., to help direct a national search. The board is also moving forward with a national search for a new provost. The hope is that the presidential search will be completed by June 30, in time for the president-elect to have input on the hiring of the new provost.
Copyright 2014 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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