Genshaft up for contract renewal

USF President Judy Genshaft is up for reappointment. The university Board of Trustees (BOT) will propose the one-year contract renewal at Thursday’s Board meeting.

The renewal will extend Genshaft’s tenure to 17 years and include a five percent increase in base compensation.

If she accepts the proposal, Genshaft’s base salary will be $493,500, with additional compensations and stipends. Her current contract did not include a salary increase.

In 15 years at USF, Genshaft increased university system enrollment by 37 percent; in the same amount of time, the endowment has seen an increase of 167 percent to $420 million.

The proposal cited these enhancements to the university as cause for the contract renewal.

Among the benefits Genshaft’s current and the proposed contracts are automobile insurance, a $988 monthly stipend to cover the expenses of owning a car, and annual dues and membership fees for the Tampa Palms Country Club and the University Club.

According to the evaluation for her current contract, Genshaft received a $175,000 stipend in December of 2015.

Genshaft chose not to live in the Lifsey house, the university-owned home on USF Tampa’s campus, so she does not receive a housing allowance. Also according to the evaluation, these benefits are “relatively standard” for a university president.

The longest-sitting president in USF’s history, Genshaft’s total compensation is in the 90th percentile of comparably sized universities across the country, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

The Board of Trustees will meet Thursday at 8 a.m. in the Marshall Student Center Ballroom.