The University of 黑料新闻 overpaid one employee by more than $355,000 for a one-year sabbatical, according to state auditors.
While , former president Susan Herbst鈥檚 income of $711,027 exactly matches the figure stated in the audit,
Herbst was on sabbatical following her departure as president in July 2019. She returned to teaching a year later.
Late Tuesday, UConn spokeswoman Stephanie Reitz confirmed that the audit was referring to Herbst and said her sabbatical was part of her contract, approved by the Board of Trustees and reviewed by Human Resources, and not subject to the by-laws that other employees must follow.
鈥淲ith respect to President Herbst, her employment contract entitled her to a year-long sabbatical leave to be paid at her full base presidential pay,鈥� Reitz said. 鈥淭he president鈥檚 compensation is set by the board directly in their employment agreement, including for their post-presidency, and the sabbatical terms outlined for faculty in the bylaws would not apply in this case.鈥�
Reitz added that 鈥淧resident Herbst was on sabbatical as a former president, rather than in her capacity as a faculty member. This is consistent with past presidents who were similarly paid a full year leave at their presidential base salary.鈥�
The audit released Tuesday criticizes the university for, among other things, not when it comes to sabbaticals for professors and other university employees.
The audit also pointed out it was not the first time the university鈥檚 sabbatical practices had been questioned by auditors. Reitz said UConn plans to clarify its policy going forward.
鈥淚n addition to ensuring policy is adhered to with respect to faculty taking sabbatical leave, the university will also take steps to clarify the distinction between faculty sabbaticals and leaves that may be afforded by virtue of an employment agreement,鈥� Reitz said.
UConn鈥檚 bylaws state that employees can either take a sabbatical for one semester at their full pay or for two semesters at half their normal salary.
Auditors found that at least two university employees were granted a full year of sabbatical leave while collecting their full salary. One of those employees was reportedly paid $711,027, and the other received $197,298. The university overpaid the employees roughly $355,514 and $98,649, respectively, the audit said.
noted that her employment contract enabled her to take a year-long sabbatical prior to returning to a campus of her choosing to teach.
That , which was , specifically states that Herbst 鈥渟hall be entitled to a year of sabbatical at the conclusion of her presidency鈥� and said that she would be compensated based on the salary scale that was included in the agreement.
The contract also says, however, that Herbst鈥檚 sabbatical would be taken 鈥渋n accordance with university policy.鈥�
Herbst did not respond to questions that were sent via email by the CT Mirror. But in 2020, she 鈥� UConn鈥檚 student newspaper 鈥� that her sabbatical was not any different from sabbaticals taken by other university employees.
鈥淚t was a very normal professor kind of sabbatical 鈥� nothing special,鈥� Herbst said.
Report: Four faculty members didn鈥檛 return after sabbatical
The bylaws also require that employees return to active service at the university for at least one year upon completion of a sabbatical. Those employees who do not fulfill this requirement must return amounts paid to them during the leave in accordance with UConn鈥檚 Sabbatical Leave Request Form. The bylaws also require employees to provide a written summary of the work done during the leave to the officer who approved the leave.
But the audit found that four faculty members did not return to active service for a minimum of one year following their sabbatical leave. The university paid $289,569 to these employees during their sabbatical leaves. The four employees never repaid the university when they did not return, and the university never sought repayment.
The audit also hints that the issue with sabbaticals may be much deeper, because the school issued 327 sabbaticals over the three-year period of the audit, from 2019-2021, and they reviewed only 15 of them. UConn paid more than $10.7 million to employees on sabbatical during that time.
鈥淭wo exceptions out of fifteen samples is over 13%. Our hope is management will be concerned enough to take corrective action, especially if that 13% exception rate carries across a population of more than 300 sabbaticals,鈥� State Auditor Clark Chapin said.
School officials did not dispute the audits findings, responding only that 鈥渢he University agrees with this recommendation and will develop a refreshed and appropriate approval process.鈥�