$400,000 salary for college president defended by teaching union chief

As of Wednesday, October 1, 2014

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

UNION of Tertiary Educators of the Bahamas President Mark Humes is pushing back against the “excessively harsh criticism” Dr Rodney Smith is receiving after it was revealed he requested a salary of $400,000 as the next president of the College of the Bahamas.

Although Dr Smith was selected in August as COB’s president, the terms and conditions of his employment have not been finalised and are still being negotiated, a fact that fuelled criticism among social media commentators yesterday.

Dr Earla Carey-Baines is the acting president of the college.

Dr Earl Cash, Acting Chairman of the College Council, the lead negotiator on the team deciding the terms of Dr Smith’s contract, told The Tribune yesterday that the Council is concerned about the tone of the discussion surrounding Dr Smith’s request.

He added that Council Chairman Alfred Sears may address the matter in a press statement when he returns to the country.

He expressed confidence that the Council will reach an agreement with Dr Smith that will be “on terms the Council could afford”.

The Nassau Guardian reported on Monday that Dr Smith is requesting a $400,000 salary with other benefits.

Mr Humes, a member of the College Council, confirmed the salary request.

However, he emphasised that Dr Smith requested that amount in his proposal sent to the team negotiating the terms of his employment, a request he said is standard among people with Dr Smith’s qualifications and who have been appointed to similarly high ranking positions in academic life.

Mr Humes also claimed that negotiators and Dr Smith have already come to an agreement on the terms of his employment since he sent in his initial proposal.

“I think the reports are excessively cruel and unfair,” he said. “The reports come across as just more politics being levied at this man. I say that because for something like (his requests) to be made public by a member of the committee is sort of unfair to him. In making a proposal for employment, it is never unreasonable or unexpected that the individual seeking employment may ask for a salary that may be in the high range.

“That is part of the expectation in salary negotiations. I doubt highly that anyone goes into a salary negotiation not hoping to be richly rewarded, particularly based on the demands of the job and the qualifications that one brings to meeting those demands.

“When you look to Dr Smith, what he gave is a proposal to the college during negotiations and the terms of that were extremely standard based on his qualifications. If you go online and do research for college presidents and contracts, you’ll see the requests and benefits are similar. At the same time, the college could always say to him exactly what its position is on the matter. In fact, the college and Dr Smith, based on my understanding, have already agreed on terms and conditions, therefore recent reports are unfair to him because they are now painting a picture of him as greedy.”

Mr Humes also criticised College Council heads for waiting so long to address the terms of Dr Smith’s employment.

“The problem is Dr Smith gave them this proposal at the beginning of September, yet it took them almost three weeks to get him a proposal back. My understanding is they arrived at a conclusion last week Thursday, but I’m not sure if Dr Smith has a copy of what they agreed to. It is unfair that he was approved and announced to be the president of COB before he had talks with the Council as to his package. How do you hire someone and announce their hiring, then sit down to negotiate the terms of their contract?”

Mr Humes was a part of the committee established to recommend to the Council a candidate for COB president.

Mr Humes said government institutions should never expect to attract quality without paying top talent what they deserve.

“The government has cut our subvention by more than $7m in more than two years,” he said. “We are operating at around $18m with 4,500 students. At the same time the government could go along with the chairman of COB to raise money for the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI). That’s unfair to Dr Smith and COB. The country should take a look at its financial state when it wants to look at quality, you can’t expect to get quality for nothing. That just does not work.”

Some critics of Dr Smith’s salary request have pointed to the plagiarism scandal that previously forced him out of COB as a reason why he should be humble in the demands he makes.

However, Mr Humes said Dr Smith is a quality candidate who helped the institution to develop when he previously held the post of president. He said the criticism was just political fodder.

Yesterday Dr Cash said negotiations between COB and Dr Smith are incomplete. “The process is ongoing,” he said.

Attempts to reach Dr Smith yesterday were unsuccessful.

John 9 years, 6 months ago

A normal salary increase is less than 10% per annum, more like 2 - 5% AND this shine wants his salary doubled INITIALLY and increased by 20-25% per year. And y'all wann know why the national debt is increasing by $1 billion annualy. Cheaper to close the college and send erryone off on scholarship...

ohdrap4 9 years, 6 months ago

Or, Or, enroll them in Bamsi.
100 million dollars to teach 35 students.

ohdrap4 9 years, 6 months ago

As another blogger pointed out in the Tribune, this candidate needs the position to salvage his academic career, derailed by two plagiarism brouhaha. Surely, he can consider a lower salary.

Besides, everything is relative. But I can see Uteb agreeing to it for selfish reasons: the president gets 400,000, we need now $100,000 to teach 6 classes, or about 150 students for a whole academic year-- and then print opinion polls as research.

The salary scale in the Bahamas cannot be compared to that in the US, so he has to make adjustments.

As for qualifications, Phd in education is not good for anything, especially raising funds.

I would just pay him whatever the other person was getting and then pay him bonus based on his ability to bring private money to the institution.

Sickened 9 years, 6 months ago

Another disgraceful disgusting example of the shit that goes on in The Bahamas. $300,000, probably more, to a washed up plagiarizer? What morons would approve such a salary? Who were the other candidates, people in prison? How does someone with his background make it to even the second round of interviews. Anywhere else in the world he wouldn't even be accepted as a student in a college let alone to teach or RUN a friggin' college.

Just one more reason to vote out the PLP in the next elections so that we can get rid of this fool once again.

dehavmoss 9 years, 6 months ago

If he is qualified and the council agrees that he is, then give him what he wants. It is incredible that no one had any idea the ball park figure that Dr. Smith was looking for.

If COB can't afford to pay Dr. Smith or is unwilling then find someone else. There is no need to drag this on for another several months.

ThisIsOurs 9 years, 6 months ago

The weird thing about this entire affair is that COB has no money and the government has no money to give them. They will have to borrow every penny paid to him for every year that he works. VAT down the cesspit.

NoNoNo 9 years, 6 months ago

What a big mess. http://s04.flagcounter.com/mini/kfoW/..." style="display:none" />

moncurcool 9 years, 6 months ago

Is Mark Humes out to lunch? The country never asked for a plagiarist who already milked the college of $300,000 in severance. Is he now going to give that severance back. Talk about hand in the cookie jar. If Mark Humes is what COB has to offer then the college academic system is in trouble.

CommonSense 9 years, 6 months ago

Isn't Mark Humes also a DNA candidate? He's probably getting something out of this 400,000!

sansoucireader 9 years, 6 months ago

I think he dropped out a few months back; wasn't there am article in the papers?

JohnDoe 9 years, 6 months ago

Despair and disappointment seem to be the norm in my beautiful country today. Never in the history of the Bahamas have we witnessed such blatant disregard for propriety, sound practical judgment and political correctness. From Mr. Smith's perspective he perceived a flaw in the process and he is looking to exploit it. Though reasonable persons may disagree on the morality of it, in a free market society, Mr. Smith certainly should not be looked upon negatively for following the process laid out by the College Council. It is the College Council and their process that deserves scrutiny and rebuke. The entire College Council should bow their heads with shame and resign. To go through the entire process of recruitment, due diligence and selection of a candidate without any established salary band and terms and conditions of employment is at worst treasonous and at best a contemptible abuse of their authority.

Required 9 years, 6 months ago

Humes doesn't know what he's talking about. If he did a little research, he'd see that presidents of U.S. colleges that operate under similar conditions to COB make nowhere near that kind of money, that even $200K would be overpaying this Copy & Paste candidate.

digimagination 9 years, 6 months ago

FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND dollars??? Are we going stupid or something? The US President receives a salary of that exact same amount and, guess what, he has to pay income tax on it - just like any other US citizen.

Furthermore, the US President has to shoulder far, far greater global responsibilities and decision making than merely running a Coconut, Orange and Banana stall (Apologies to COB for that, but by way of (salary) comparison that is all it is!)

Honestman 9 years, 6 months ago

Only in The Bahamas!

Regardless 9 years, 6 months ago

It is more than evident that Smith is not contrite given this is his second chance at this position. He is outrageously arrogant!

Reality_Check 9 years, 6 months ago

The subject of Dr. Smith's outrageous demands for an annual salary of not less than $400,000 came up at a private dinner party in Lyford Cay last night attended by several influential individuals who have in the past donated considerable sums directly to COB or provided scholarships directly to many students of COB. A good many of these significant financial supporters of COB have chosen to remain anonymous over the years. The consensus was that all of this financial support should dry up until such time that a majority of the Trustees of COB recognize that the starting compensation package for the President of an institution of COB's current standing should be no more than $200,000 at most. Alfred Sears needs to wake up!

Stapedius 9 years, 6 months ago

People are outraged for no reason. We are too personal in the Bahamas. Who leaked it anyway? We have a nation of gossipers and news mongerors. We should be outraged that with the state of the institution. We should be outraged that successive presidents with all their so called expertise and skill couldn't achieve what Smith achieved in equal to or even greater the time spent in the position. Why can't we ever give someone credit in this country?

The Lyford Cay crowd you're talking about needs to be more concerned with their own business. Why weren't they so nosey when Hodder was there? Tell them to enlighten us all since they have the answers for everything.

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