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New Illinois Law Limits the Size of Severance Deals at Community Colleges

Briefcase of money

Compensation for community college presidents will be limited by a new law, and the state’s public universities could be next.
Newly signed legislation means contracts for administrators are limited to four years, can’t automatically renew, and can only offer one-year severance packages.
 
The bill was inspired by the College of DuPage offering its outgoing president, Robert Brueder, $763,000 to buy out the remaining three years of his contract,
 
State Sen. Tom Cullerton believes the next step is to target the pay for administrators at the state’s public universities.
 
“Public sector is public sector,” Cullerton said. “That’s part of the deal you’re going into, you don’t get as compensated as well, and if corporations want to do big, huge buyouts for people making mistakes, that’s their prerogative, they have to answer to their shareholders. I have to answer to the people who elected me to office.”
 
There appears to be support for limits on pay for public university administrators on both sides of the aisle.
 
“This is the first step in reform for higher education,” said State Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton). “Look, if these boards can’t do it themselves, then we will act on behalf of the taxpayer to make it a reasonable limitation.”

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