Penn State President Eric Barron applied for University of Colorado job; plans to retire in 2022
Penn State President Eric Barron was among a list of 160 applicants for president of the University of Colorado system last spring, according to documents leaked to the Colorado Independent published Tuesday.
Penn State confirmed that Barron applied for the position but that he intends to complete his contract.
A source familiar with the matter told the CDT a family health issue was related to Barron’s application at the University of Colorado, and that he plans to retire at the completion of his Penn State presidency in 2022.
CU’s board of regents selected former Colorado Republican Congressman Mark Kennedy to lead the university system by a 5-4 vote in May, passing over applicants from much larger schools such as Penn State, Rutgers and Texas A&M, and other prominent Colorado politicians. Kennedy was the president of the University of North Dakota during the application phase.
Barron, whose contract at Penn State was renewed in May 2018 through June 2022 by the board of trustees, heads a total student body about 50% larger than the CU system, which has 67,386 between four campuses. By comparison, Penn State’s total student body, including World Campus, is 96,408 across 24 campuses.
Prior to arriving at Penn State in 2014, Barron served as president of Florida State University for four years. From 2008 to 2010, he was director of the the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, also home of the flagship CU campus.
A search committee of 11 people, comprised mostly of Republicans, in partnership with Alabama-based search firm Wheless Partners, narrowed the list of 160 down to 30 applicants, including Barron. It then invited 11 applicants of the 30 for in-person interviews. Barron and two former Democratic Colorado politicians — Gov. Bill Ritter and Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne, were not asked back for interviews.
“I am fully committed to Penn State. I and the board, and the entire Penn State family have much to accomplish together,” Barron said in statement, responding to the leaked list of applicants.
In 2018, Barron was the third-highest-paid public university president in the United States, earning $1.8 million comprised of his $834,364 base salary, an $800,000 completion payment and a $200,000 annual retention payment. In September, Barron received a 2.5% raise from the board of trustees, bringing his base salary to $855,228. With his annual $200,000 retention bonus as part of his contract extension, Barron made over $1 million in the 2019 calendar year.
As part of Barron’s contract extension, his salary is reviewed annually and considered for an increase until 2022, when he is set to receive another $800,000 completion payment.
Board of trustees Chairman Mark Dambly said Barron is “fully committed to his extended tenure with Penn State.”
“The board and President Barron have made great progress promoting affordability and investing in innovation and economic development, which are key priorities for the board, and we recently extended a successful campaign — A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence — launched under President Barron’s leadership,” he said in a statement. “Commonwealth families are benefiting. We are excited about continuing our partnership with President Barron through the completion of his tenure.”
This story was originally published January 2, 2020 at 1:04 PM.
.jpg)