Morgan officials have repeatedly said that Richardson was unaware of the building contract problems and that the school has taken steps to ensure that they do not recur. In refusing to release his contract, Richardson implied that Clagett might have "discriminatory or retaliatory" motives in his continued investigation, an accusation that the lawmaker dismisses.
Richardson is not the only Maryland public college president guaranteed a faculty job with at least 80 percent of presidential salary upon resigning. The heads of the University of Maryland, College Park and Salisbury University - hired in 1998 and 2000, respectively - have similar provisions in their employment agreements.
William E. Kirwan, chancellor of the University System of Maryland, says those types of deals are no longer made because they lead to excessive compensation for former presidents. The state university system's governing board - which does not oversee Morgan - feels that presidents who return to their professorial posts should have "salaries commensurate with their role ... as a faculty member," Kirwan said.
Richardson earns more than most Maryland college presidents but less than Freeman A. Hrabowski III of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County ($420,000); David J. Ramsay of the University of Maryland, Baltimore ($589,000); C.D. "Dan" Mote Jr. of College Park ($465,000); and Kirwan ($490,000).
As for contract provisions that protect Richardson's faculty job even if he were to be fired from his president's post for "moral turpitude" or "willful neglect of duty," that is a unusual liberty granted by Morgan's board, said Richard Skinner, senior vice president at the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges.
"I've never seen one of those," Skinner said. "Generally speaking, [termination] for cause is a fairly serious matter."
Among the University System of Maryland's 13 academic campuses, outgoing presidents can return to the faculty only if they have completed their presidency "in good standing," Kirwan said. "Certainly, a university doesn't want to be in a position of giving a salary to someone who has done anything unethical or illegal or inappropriate, so that would be a fairly standard exception."
Asked why Richardson's contract affords his "emeritus" privileges - among them a maximum teaching load of two graduate courses a year and "office space in size and location ... suitable to his president emeritus status" - even in the case of firing, Resnick said he was unfamiliar with the provision or why it was there.
