The University of Vermont announced the selection of E. Thomas Sullivan as its 26th president on Wednesday. Sullivan, who has been senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Minnesota for the last eight years, will assume his new post on July 15 and receive more than $440,000 annually for the next three years.
In an introduction to the community at a well-attended morning ceremony in the Davis Center Ballroom on campus, Sullivan pledged to promote financial access and affordability, a dynamic research infrastructure, a curriculum combining theory with new discoveries that “advance and promote our communities,” and joint efforts with political and business leaders that assist with economic development.
Sullivan described UVM as a “premier, small research university with pre-eminence already in liberal education, the environment, and health care issues.”
An attorney and authority on antitrust law and complex litigation, Sullivan was dean of the University of Minnesota Law School from 1995 to 2002. He has written 10 books, served as a consultant to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Supreme Court nominations, and worked with the Senate Commerce Committee on mergers.
Sullivan and his wife Leslie, a 1977 UVM liberal arts graduate, will live in the official presidential residence, Englesby House, once current renovations are completed.
Sullivan promises to “champion at every opportunity the ‘first principles’ and ‘values’ that underlie the rich history of great land grant universities.” In the event of campus protests, labor actions, or even an encampment attempt by the Occupy movement, he told VTDigger that he would “embrace a robust, candid discussion.”
He described himself as a strong proponent of the First Amendment. “It can get a little messy,” he said, “but it’s so important.”
In his application for the job last October, Sullivan provided a sense of how he views the challenges of the job. Mentioning “new economic realities,” he argued that university presidents will have to lead “disciplined discussion and resulting actions concerning cost containment, cost avoidance, and prudent budget cutting.”
He pointed to his success in fundraising, including a $1.5 million annual fund to support the arts and humanities and more than $1 million in two law school capital campaigns. Sullivan recently led a review of the University of Minnesota’s budget model.
Nevertheless, he rejected the argument that the main role of a university president today is fundraising. Asked about a statement in the Burlington Free Press that “the provost runs the institution, the academic side, and the president finds money,” he laughed.
“You can say I laughed,” he added. “I wouldn’t draw that distinction.” Balance and team work is the only way to succeed, he said.
Gov. Peter Shumlin welcomed the new president and presented him with a Vermont road atlas as a gift. The governor noted that future jobs in Vermont will depend on a strong partnership between the state and the university. After meeting with Sullivan, he came away “feeling very confident that he is the right choice.”
Sullivan said that the mission and vision of UVM “align very well with my own experience, values, and aspirations.” Leading UVM, he said, “is a natural progression and ‘fit’ for me.”
UVM Trustees Chair Robert F. Cioffi explained that Sullivan’s $347,600 base salary as provost in Minnesota, plus his deferred compensation there, were close to what UVM offered.
“The board reasonably concluded that the new president should be compensated as close to his current salary as possible, if not higher, given the increased responsibilities that a University of Vermont president must assume,” he explained.
Faculty Senate President Julie Roberts said the teaching staff was “very impressed with his focus on academic freedom.” Staff Council President Ida Russin added that university workers “look forward to engaging in collective processes” with him.
In a report from Cioffi that was reviewed by the brustees on Feb. 4 – the same day Sullivan was selected – Roberts said that “corporatization” was a serious faculty concern, fueled by the public debate over presidential compensation. UVM was widely criticized last year for the generous severance package offered to departing president Daniel Fogel.
In a follow-up statement on executive compensation, Cioffi said on Wednesday that “it was necessary to offer a competitive salary based on market realities.” Sullivan will initially receive $417,000, plus $30,000 of deferred compensation during his first three years. For the next two years he will be entitled to $40,000 in deferred compensation.
Russin said that many staff members were unhappy with “unreasonable perks” in the compensation policy and feel that “Vermont has different cultural values and standards than the rest of the United States when it comes to executive pay.”
Sullivan told VTDigger that he has not seen the compensation report. But he suggested that Vermont and Minnesota have similar values, listing a populist orientation, openness and egalitarianism. “I value these attributes,” he said.
In a press release, Michele Patenaude welcomed Sullivan on behalf of UVM’s staff union and NEA leadership. USU-NEA “can’t help but notice the president’s ability to negotiate his salary, benefits, health insurance, retirement and working conditions,” the statement said.
“The ability to negotiate from a position of equality – as Dr. Sullivan certainly was able to accomplish – is a fundamental right for all of us who work at UVM,” Patenaude said. “As a union affiliated with the state’s and nation’s largest unions, USU-NEA is ready to be that equal, powerful voice for 1,500 people who deserve the same ability to negotiate for their own benefits, salary and working conditions.”
