Lombardi's future uncertain, resignation looms

By Trey Csar
Alligator Writer
August 24, 1999

  1. Though UF President John Lombardi's conference room was full of reporters and television cameras waiting to hear news of his expected resignation, the only sight of UF's ninth president on Monday was when he quickly poked his head out of his office door minutes before he was supposed to speak.

  2. Instead of Lombardi, UF spokeswoman Linda Gray appeared at the podium to announce that the press conference was cancelled at the last minute.

  3. "He had hoped to talk about his future, more than that I can't tell you," she said. "He's not in a position to talk with you."

  4. Board of Regents Chairman Dennis Ross said discussions between Lombardi and State University System chancellor Adam Herbert over the terms of his resignation were not complete.

  5. "I was a little surprised that the press conference was scheduled," Ross said Monday afternoon. "I hadn't been told by the chancellor that the negotiations were complete and indeed they weren't. I believe they're going on (Monday night.)"

  6. The exact reasons behind Lombardi's possible resignation, however, remain unclear.

  7. Recently, Lombardi, who could not be reached for comment on Monday, had increased the salaries of key UF administrators by amounts ranging from $25,691 for UF General Counsel Pam Bernard to $39,143 for Vice President for Administrative Affairs Gerald Schaffer. Paul Robell, vice president for development, received a $32,023 raise.

  8. UF Provost Betty Capaldi got a $28,789 increase, raising her annual salary to $270,400 - more than Lombardi or Herbert's salary. That raise will go into effect on Oct. 1, 1999.

  9. Herbert earns an annual salary of $255,000 and Lombardi earns $250,000.

  10. The raises, Lombardi said in a memorandum sent to Herbert on Monday, were primarily due to the "expanded responsibility and in recognition of the significant continuing cost saving achieved" by a consolidation and cost savings plan for the UF Health Science Center.

  11. The savings from that plan would amount to $2.4 million a year by moving many of the administrative tasks for the Health Science Center to Capaldi and Schaffer's offices.

  12. Ross and others, however, questioned the reasoning behind the increases.

  13. "Clearly, the salary issue was a big issue for the chancellor and the Board of Regents," Ross said. "I'm not saying the pay increase was or was not justified - not confirming (the raises) with the chancellor was inappropriate."

  14. "Making (Capaldi's) salary more than President Lombardi's and the Chancellor's - that's a little impropriety," he said.

  15. Capaldi answered questions from the Alligator in an e-mail Monday afternoon. She said her pay increase was justified in light of her additional responsibilities and that she did not think it is inappropriate for her to make more than Lombardi or Herbert.

  16. "This increase is well within Board of Regents guidelines ... and recognizes the increased functions of (the) budget officer," she said. "Many salaries at the University of Florida of both faculty and administrators are higher than President Lombardi's and the chancellor's. Neither the chancellor nor the president have their salaries set by officials at the University of Florida."

  17. Regent James Heekin Jr. said the Legislature questioned Herbert about SUS salaries earlier this year.

  18. "The members of the legislature expressed concern to the chancellor about the salaries of university administrators," Heekin said.

  19. Bernard, Schaffer and others mentioned in the memorandum could not be reached Monday night.

  20. Lombardi was scheduled to receive a performance review from the Regents in September. Herbert said earlier this Summer that an incident in which Lombardi was accused of verbally abusing two visiting law school deans would be addressed in that review.

  21. "(The upcoming review) may be what lead to this incident," Ross said.

  22. One major issue in Lombardi's severance package negotiations revolves around him retaining the title of president emeritus while staying on campus as a professor.

  23. Student Body President Brent Gordon said he would support an emeritus title for Lombardi if he left.

  24. While Lombardi's tenure has been controversial, statistics show tremendous increases in students, funding and other important categories.

  25. In 1990, UF had 96 National Merit Scholars and an average GPA of 3.45 among entering students. This year, 192 UF freshmen received the honor and the average student had a 3.90 GPA in high school.

  26. While the incoming classes have improved, the university has grown from 33,282 students in 1990 to 42,336 today.

  27. Sponsored research awards have doubled in the past 10 years, from $147 million to $296 million.

  28. UF's $497 million endowment today is about five times what it was in 1990 and the total budget has increased from $800 million to more than $1.5 billion.

  29. Despite these changes, Heekin said he could understand why Lombardi would consider leaving.

  30. "It's like working 24 hours a day - you're always on the clock trying to manage a business with a billion dollar budget," Heekin said. "After 10 years, I could understand if he wants to return to his first love of teaching."

  31. Gray said becoming a professor is one of many things Lombardi can do if he resigns from the presidency.

  32. "He is a tenured faculty member here - that's certainly an option," she said. "There's a lot of things he can do." In the past, Lombardi has taught several classes, including one about sports history and another about higher education administration.

  33. The president's office has not rescheduled the press conference, although a spokeswoman said she expects it to take place soon.

  34. "For everyone's sake, I hope this gets resolved as timely as possible," Ross said.

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