Hardin to speak with faculty members at September meeting

By ArkansasOnline

University of Central Arkansas President Lu Hardin (center) speaks Friday during a UCA board of trustees meeting. Russell Powell

UCA President Lu Hardin won't address the faculty senate at its Thursday meeting as had been expected and will instead meet with the group at its next meeting Sept. 9. The faculty is planning to address Hardin's bonus and a memo in its meeting Thursday and will talk about having a no-confidence vote.

The body plans to wait until its September meeting or even December before taking action on such an issue.

Hardin has faced heavy criticism from several faculty members over a secret $300,000 bonus he received and later returned after it became public. Another troubling issue for many faculty members is the Hardin-penned memo recommending a pay raise for him that listed at the bottom the names of three vice presidents without their knowledge.

Faculty senate president Kurt Boniecki said the memo has become the larger issue because it seems to some on the staff to be "a violation of UCA standards of integrity."

In an agenda released Wednesday, the names of those vice presidents were revealed for the first time. They are: Barbara Anderson, Jack Gillean, and Paul McClendon

Separately, about 26 department chairs met this week over the Hardin issue. Nothing came out of the discussion, said one participant, who added that the consensus among them was to preserve the well-being of the university.

Hardin, a former state senator, became UCA’s president in September 2002.

Read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for complete details.