U panel wants more admin pay rules

A University of Minnesota Regents committee wants the university to discontinue special transitional leaves for administrators.

Instead, the Regents want executives to take sabbaticals under the same conditions as faculty.

The policy review comes after news that former President Robert Bruininks gave $2.8 million to 10 outgoing university officials in paid leave and other compensation. The committee wants to better enforce the rule that administrators pay back the university if they don't return after the leave.

The Regent's committee wants more detail and transparency in both hiring and compensation and it wants the board to approve any major changes in pay.

Regent Richard Beeson said the university appears to be the first public university to draft such a policy.

"There's a lot of things the university does really well and better than business, but this is an area that I think in general higher ed has been lagging on," Beeson said.

The full Board of Regents will review the committee's recommendations next month.

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