To The Editor:

Your recent editorial entitled “Warren deserved bonus, but process is flawed” is replete with its own set of flaws and misunderstandings.

1. There is nothing “secretive” about the Presidential Goals and Objectives which was approved many months ago. President Warren’s priorities have been well documented and available to both the public and the media on the President’s web page. A complete copy of these goals were made available to the press including The Stater, and they were used in completing her recent evaluation.

2. Chapter 121.22 (sec. G) of the Ohio Revised Code specifically permits executive sessions for the purposes of considering employment and compensation of a public employee.

3. Anyone who attended our recent December board meeting would know that both my presentation in the Chairman’s Report as well as the detailed explanation by the Chair of the Compensation Committee as related to President Warren’s performance and pay recommendation would have both seen and heard the overwhelming basis for the Board’s action. Moreover, a unanimous voice vote in the public meeting made it clear that ALL trustees supported this action. Any roll call vote when the voice vote is unanimous would be meaningless and superfluous.

4. There is absolutely no relationship between the actions of the Presidential Search Committee, which concluded almost 23 months ago, and operated under a separate set of policies and the processes of annual employee performance and compensation reviews which have a completely different set of policies. The two activities are in no way connected, and to suggest otherwise as your editorial has done is misleading at best.

5. Your assertion that somehow “those who pay the taxes and tuition” were somehow excluded from this process is patently false and inaccurate.

First:

The members of the Board of Trustees are all uncompensated volunteers and residents of Ohio who are appointed by the Governor and are charged with the fiduciary responsibility of overseeing the expenditures (which include the revenues from the State of Ohio) of the university.

Second:

The Board also included two very diligent and thoughtful students who participated in both the evaluation and the discussion and provided valuable insights as well as support for the outcome.

We are very proud that KSU is one of the few state universities that has included direct student involvement in this important process.

I certainly join you in agreeing with your concluding statement about “admiring a lot about our new president.”  I am equally happy that our Board of Trustees concurs as well as evidenced by our recent actions.

This has been an exciting year of great accomplishment, not only by our new president, but by the excellent staff and hardworking student body, all of whom are on the cusp of concluding final exams and beginning a well-deserved holiday break.

All of us at the Board of Trustees wish you well,

Dennis E. Eckart

Chair

Kent State University Board of Trustees