President Neil Kerwin will receive approximately $475,000 per year in salary under a contract the AU board of trustees approved on Friday, according to Board Chairman Gary Abramson.
The board approved the contract, which is effective for the next five years, as part of its regularly scheduled fall meeting on Thursday and Friday, he said.
Kerwin's new negotiated salary represented a modest increase from his salary as interim president, Abramson said.
Former President Ben Ladner received $881,696 in pay and compensation during the 2004-2005 school year, his last full year at the university, The Eagle previously reported.
Kerwin had been acting and interim president of the university since Aug. 24, 2005, when he took over in the midst of an investigation into accusations that then-President Ladner had been misusing university funds. The board concluded a presidential search and named Kerwin as permanent president on July 20. Kerwin officially became permanent president Sept. 1, The Eagle previously reported.
The university will not provide Kerwin with a car under the new contract, as he has agreed to use his own vehicle. The contract also does not include the use of a chauffeur, although Kerwin will be allowed to request someone from Public Safety to drive him if the trip is related to university business, Abramson said.
Other benefits, including retirement and deferred compensation, are governed by the rules set up in a pre-existing package plan that applies to all university executives, Abramson said.
At the time of his selection as permanent president, Kerwin had said he would not be living in a university-provided residence but would continue to reside at his own home in Bethesda, Md. Kerwin's new contract reflects this decision, according to Abramson.
A house at 4835 Glenbrook Road N.W., which Ladner had used as his official residence during his tenure as president, will not be used for any university-related functions while the Army Corps of Engineers excavates World War I-era munitions located on the property and at 4825 Glenbrook Road N.W., an adjacent university-owned property, Abramson said.
The university bought the house and property for Ladner's official use after selecting him as president in 1994, The Eagle previously reported.
The Army Corps of Engineers is expected to begin work at the 4825 Glenbrook property Oct. 29, according to a memorandum Kerwin sent to the campus community Thursday.
Although work at 4835 Glenbrook will not begin until some time after work begins at 4825 Glenbrook, the university will not use it for any purpose until remedial work is completed, Abramson said.
