TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - In a story Sept. 23 about the University of Arizona president, The Associated Press reported erroneously on elements of Ann Weaver Hart’s contract and the transition to her successor. Her contract expires in June 2018, and she will be allowed to take a one-year sabbatical under Board of Regents policies that are separate from University of Arizona rules.
A corrected version of the story is below:
UA president reaches agreement to allow for succession plan
The University of Arizona’s president reaches agreement that allows for transition to new leader
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - The University of Arizona president has reached an agreement with the Board of Regents that paves the way for the transition to a new leader next year as she serves out the remainder of her contract that expires in 2018.
Ann Weaver Hart will remain at the helm until a replacement is named, at which point she will step down from the presidency and continue to receive her $475,000 annual salary until her contract expires in June 2018. She will then become a University of Arizona professor and take a one-year, paid sabbatical.
Hart asked the Board of Regents not to extend her contract at the last meeting and allow it to expire at the end of June 2018, said Pam Scott, a school spokeswoman.
Scott said the regents decided to begin a search this fall. The board had indicated it hopes to have a new president in place by next summer and to hire someone by mid-2017.
Hart has been harshly criticized for serving on the board of the for-profit DeVry University, which is facing a federal lawsuit for deceiving students. DeVry denies those claims. DeVry’s board pays Hart $170,000 per year in salary and stock.
The agreement, first reported by the Arizona Daily Star, was reached under a provision in Hart’s contract that allows her and the Board of Regents to negotiate the terms of a transition before it expires.
The University of Arizona usually requires employees to have been on the job for at least six years to get a sabbatical. Hart will have only five years when the deal starts next school year. But the sabbatical is allowed because Hart reports to the Board of Regents, which is governed by different policies than the university.
Scott said the regents have the ability to award a sabbatical and they are not bound by UA policy.
“The board is the governing body for the universities and as such it retains the authority over employment related decisions,” spokeswoman Sarah Harper said.
When her leave ends, Hart will become a professor in the College of Education. Her transition deal calls for her to receive a salary equivalent to the highest paid to any faculty member in that college.
The regents agreed to the faculty position when they hired Hart in 2012.
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