Beshear criticizes retirement package of UK AD Barnhart, law school dean hiring
Gov. Andy Beshear criticized the $3.2 million payout to retiring University of Kentucky Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart on Thursday, stating his disapproval despite the fact the funds were privately raised.
“Yes, $3 million that could otherwise go to helping students, to better paying faculty, to doing research that could cure this disease that’s afflicting one of our people,” Beshear said during a Team Kentucky briefing after being asked about the Barnhart deal. “I don’t have anything against Mitch Barnhart. Met him, know him, but this is a a lot of money, and I know that there’s this argument that ‘oh the president’s going to raise it.’ It’s not state funds. Well, that’s money the president isn’t raising for the University of Kentucky, for students, and the rest.”
Earlier this year, UK announced Barnhart would be paid nearly $1 million a year for a new vaguely described job heading up a Workforce Initiative, paid for out of athletic funds. After Beshear and others criticized it, Barnhart stepped away from the deal.
Under the new announcement, Barnhart will be paid about $40,000 with healthcare benefits for a part-time job fundraising and reaching out to alumni. The $3 million are severance payments. According to the schedule, Barnhart will be paid $760,000 on Jan. 1, 2027; $760,000 on Jan. 1, 2028; $760,000 on Jan. 1, 2029; and $780,000 on Dec. 31, 2029.
On Thursday, Beshear also restated his disapproval of UK hiring former federal Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove as dean of the Rosenberg College of Law. The hire was made despite faculty opposition. Earlier this week, a UK law professor sued over the hiring.
“The university continues to say, oh, we followed the regular procedure,” Beshear said. “They didn’t. See, here’s the thing: The regular procedure had things set out like it had to be someone who needed tenure. They had to come from academia, and this individual didn’t meet any of it, and so when questioned on that, the university says, ‘Oh, well, in our regular process, we have an exception for extraordinary circumstances.’ Well, wait a minute. If you invoke an exception for extraordinary circumstances, you’re not following a regular process.”
Beshear said he was not trying to politicize the process.
“University of Kentucky’s administration is politicizing its law school, and I’ve heard from thousands of alumni of the school that are really disappointed, that see this as political and don’t think this should be a Republican or a Democratic law school.”