Chancellor rejects offer to leave SUNY

SUNY Chancellor Robert King will remain in his position after rejecting an exit package, The New York Times reported.

While he will not be leaving immediately, King has made plans to leave SUNY in the next six months, anonymous sources in the Times said.

A plan was in place for King to take a sabbatical from the role of chancellor and accept a $170,000 leave of absence. During his sabbatical, a replacement would have been found, according to the report. The Times reported the deal was brokered by the SUNY Board of Trustees and approved by Governor George Pataki.

According to the Times, the SUNY Board of Trustees has clashed with King over a series of management decisions. In the past, King has been criticized for his lack of university administrative experience prior to becoming chancellor, and more recently for a pay raise he proposed for himself in the fall.

King reportedly backed away from the deal after members of Pataki's staff and Democratic legislators began speaking out against King in the press. They criticized the exit package, especially in light of the $600 tuition increase King proposed earlier this month.

King's decision not to step down apparently took Trustees by surprise - they were holding a special meeting with the understood purpose of approving King's "sabbatical," according to the Times, when King read a short statement saying he would remain in his position due to the "challenges facing the university at this time."

Board of Trustee Chairman Thomas Egan refused to comment. Pataki's office released a statement expressing approval of King's decision, although aides to Pataki quoted anonymously by the Times said the office was very upset by the decision.

King, who spoke at last year's commencement and participated in the investiture of UB President John Simpson in October, has encountered controversy during his tenure as chancellor, after overseeing a $900 tuition increase last year and recently proposing further increases, while also offering a plan for pay raises for himself and campus presidents last fall. Prior to this position, he served as Pataki's budget director.

King said the increases are necessary due to mandatory costs such as contractual obligations and rising energy costs.

His tenure has, however, seen an increase in the quality of accepted students, and is perceived to have succeeded in hiring strong campus presidents.