ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, August 30, 1996 TAG: 9608300036
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: RADFORD
SOURCE: ALLISON BLAKE STAFF WRITER
Radford University's recently departed vice president for business affairs, Charles King, has requested an extra $7,500 for 570 hours of unused sick leave, even though university policy caps unused leave at $5,000.
But at least two members of the Board of Visitors on Thursday wondered why an exception should be made for King, particularly after many faculty members took early retirement offers this year.
"Charlie King and his staff have done an outstanding job," board member Nancy Wilson said. "We rewarded him when staff and others did not get a raise."
Board member Ginger Mumpower raised a legal question.
"We had a very large number of faculty retire last year. I don't know if that's something we can do," she said.
According to Wilson, departed faculty can receive $2,500 in unused sick leave, and administrators, $5,000. Carson Quarles, chairman of its business affairs committee, said he thought the request was "justified." The business committee approved the request.
Half way through its public conversation on the matter, the board decided to finish up in private and later tabled the issue until November.
King, who took a similar job at James Madison University this summer, said late Thursday that he had asked for 50 percent of his unused sick leave because he couldn't transfer it to JMU, but believed his request was fair.
"I knew it was an exception to policy," he said. "I can understand if there were some questions raised."
After the meeting, Quarles said he viewed the subcommittee's vote as a reward for King, who "worked long, tireless hours" for Radford.
"Anytime you make an exception it can open up a can of worms. Sometimes you have to make a value judgment," Quarles said.
Thursday's meeting was the first since two recent appointees joined the board. Barbara Turk of Radford and Jay Poole of Richmond, who is the government relations liaison for Phillip Morris Management Corp., are the appointees.
James Stutts, a Radford graduate who's been on the board since 1991, was elected rector. Former Rector Karen Waldron said she asked not to be reappointed because she recently took over much of the business left by her late father, prominent Roanoke developer Elbert Waldron. She will serve as vice rector instead.
A split board also approved Radford's much-debated tenure review policy. Faculties at all of the state's public universities have developed such a policy. However, Quarles and others questioned the weighted measure for teaching competence. Under the measure, teachers could pass muster if they score only 42 percent out of a possible 100, he said.
Meantime, in a workshop held this week, the board worked with a consultant to figure out how to evaluate a president. Douglas Covington has been Radford's president for just over a year. Stutts said an evaluation will be held between now and the board's next meeting, scheduled for Nov. 11.
"I do feel there has been effective leadership at the university. All I ask for is a fair evaluation," Covington said.
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