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Former UNH President Will Earn $20K As Adjunct Instructor

Mike Ross
/
UNH Photographic Services

Former UNH President Mark Huddleston’s employment agreement is getting some big changes. He’ll be returning to UNH this year, making a $20,000 salary as an adjunct instructor in the UNH Professional Development and Training department.

According to the agreement, Huddleston will present at various leadership conferences and institutes, and provide “consulting services” for future curriculum in that department this year. He will also be working with state public officials through UNH Extension.

Adjuncts at UNH have typically been paidsignificantly less than Huddleston's $20,000.

After retiring as president in June 2018, Huddleston collected transitional pay at his full salary of $425,000, plus benefits, if he promised to return to teach next year. University System officials explained that transitional pay was meant to incentivize Huddleston to remain at UNHduring financial challenges at the time.

The full-year transitional pay provision was added to Huddleston’s contract in 2013, shortly after the University System of New Hampshire lost almost half of its state funding.

According to his presidential employment contract, Huddleston held a tenured position as a full professor in political science, in addition to holding the President’s office. But he resigned from his tenured position to be hired as an adjunct due to enrollment challenges, his new employment agreement states.

“As you understand, changes in enrollment mean that this institution has identified a different path than we originally discussed and I greatly appreciate your willingness to modify your work and compensation,” the employment agreement states.

First-year enrollment at UNH is down 10% this year, and 9.4% across the entire university system, according to numbers provided in late July by USNH.

"We are seeing growth in the demand for professional development and key partnerships with industry across the state," Provost Wayne Jones said in an emailed statement Friday. "While that does not require a tenure track faculty member, Huddleston’s experience and expertise will be valuable."

A statement provided by UNH spokesperson Erika Mantz stated that, while UNH could possibly be in need of Huddleston’s services after this year, “there are no current plans to engage him in subsequent years.” The new agreement expires in June 2020.

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