Genshaft up for performance-based stipend

USF System President Judy Genshaft could receive a stipend of up to $175,000 based on her performance over the past year after getting high marks at the Board of Trustees (BOT) committee meeting Thursday.

Genshaft's current contract includes a $175,000 stipend based on yearly performance in several areas including research, fundraising, student success and health initiatives.

The BOT controls 70 percent of the stipend while BOT chair Brian Lamb controls 30 percent, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

The committee was disappointed by the number of postdoctoral appointees, but overall commended Genshaft when it came to her research-based goals. Trustees praised Genshaft's efforts during the election year, though USF didn't meet its $100 million goal for fundraising this year and the endowment took a hit because of the unstable economy, according to the Times. The committee commended USF's response to "very aggressive" student success goals. But members were disappointed by USF St. Petersburg's six-year graduation rate, average SAT scores and high school GPA, and the percentage of degrees earned in "areas of strategic emphasis," such as STEM areas and nursing.

By the end of Thursday's meeting, the BOT governance committee decided to award Genshaft 95 percent of its portion of the stipend or about $116,375.

The decision goes in front of the full BOT Dec. 1 for official approval. Lamb has not commented on the remainder of the stipend.