MUN president in line for nearly $1M in admin leave after departure

Memorial University's outgoing president, Gary Kachanoski, will be eligible for the equivalent of nearly two years' salary and other benefits after he leaves the positionin December, which will come with a price tag of nearly $1 million.

It's called administrative leave, and university officials sayit's commonin Canadian universities.

And there's no indication from MUN that Kachanoski's successor, expected to be named in the coming months, can expect to feel the pinch of widespread belt-tightening at the university.

There's been no directive to the search committee to reduce executive level compensation for the university's top administrator, with more than 80per cent of the university's revenues coming from a beleagueredprovincial treasury.

"Acontract is developed and negotiated between the board and the selected candidate," a MUN official wrote in a statement to CBC News.

• Management salaries slashed by average of $20K as MUN continues belt-tightening

Kachanoski received compensation of just under $470,000 in both 2017 and 2018,according to the university's online compensation disclosure document, making him one of the highest-paid employees of a public entity in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Administrative leave 'common,' says MUN

A clause in Kachanoski's contract makes him eligible for 2.4 months of administrative leave for every calendar year completed.The entitlement includessalary, pensionaccruals, allowances, travel privileges and benefits.

It'sdesigned to helpsenior academic leaders with the transition back to "academic duties" after their contract expires.

This willlikely lead to ascenario in which the cash-strapped university is paying high-end compensation to both Kachanoski and his successor for an extended period.

Kachanoskibecame presidentand vice-chancellor at the university July 1, 2010, andwill be given credit for 9 years of service for the accumulation of administrative leave.

According to CBC calculations, based on the formula in MUN's pension plan, and a supplementary agreement to make Kachanoski "whole" for his non-transferrable years of service with the University of Alberta, Kachanoski could receive an annual pension of roughly $170,000 if he were to retire this year.

But Kachanoski is also a full professor in the departments of earth sciences and biology, and plans to return to his faculty position "and will likely take his administrative leave in segments between periods of teaching and research," a MUN statement reads.

Kachanoski announced in September 2018 that he will vacate the university's top administrative post earlier than expected, saying he wanted to make room for his successorto work through a new four-year budget cycle.

But Kachanoski made it clear during an interview in 2018 that he was frustrated with the university's fragile financial position, including funding cuts from the provincial government, and a long-standing tuition fee freeze for Newfoundland and Labrador students.

"We need to decide, and Newfoundland is going to have to decide, what kind of university does it want?" he said in May 2018.

"Is it going to have the infrastructure that it needs to run a21st-century, national-class university with a comprehensive set of programs, or not?" he asked.

• Impending budget cycle reason for early departure, says MUN president

• 'We're downsizing': MUN board of regents approves penny-pinching budget

Meanwhile, the search for MUN's 13th president is ongoing. Iris Petten, chair of the board of regents and the presidential search committee, declined an interview request.

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