In a session closed to the public Thursday, University of Arkansas System trustees talked about the system president's role in executing athletic contracts.
Trustee John Goodson tacked on the matter before the panel went into executive session, and the board did not take any action on it after its executive session ended.
Trustees did, however, go through the agenda and voted unanimously to offer a two-year contract to system President Donald Bobbitt.
Arkansas Code Annotated 25-16-106(c)(1) states that "executive sessions will be permitted only for the purpose of considering employment, appointment, promotion, demotion, disciplining, or resignation of any public officer or employee. The specific purpose of the executive session shall be announced in public before going into executive session."
The UA System, through its spokesman Nate Hinkel, said Goodson raised the issue "in the context of Dr. Bobbitt's job duties and the board's expectations of him as they looked to consider his employment contract."
"Historically, job duties in relation to employment contracts have been discussed in executive session," Hinkel added.
During the system's five annual meetings, the 10-member UA System board's chairman typically reads out specific agenda items -- without any names -- and a blanket phrase to cover the rest before the panel meets out of public view.
On Thursday, chairman Reynie Rutledge of Searcy read out, "I will entertain a motion to go into executive session for the purpose of considering the election of officers, appointments to the [University of Arkansas at Little Rock] board of visitors and the [University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences] and [Area Health Education Center] staffs; the granting of emeritus status; the approval of salaries in excess of line item maximum, honorary degrees and other significant awards; and the employment, appointment, promotion, demotion, disciplining, or resignation of public officers or employees for the various campuses of the University of Arkansas System."
Then Goodson added the athletic contracts matter.
Goodson later said trustees wanted to clarify Bobbitt's role in athletic contracts, but he did not specify any in particular. When asked if the athletic-contract discussion came up because of Bobbitt's contract, "No, no, no, no, no, no. Just a question that a couple of board members had."
The board wanted to ensure that Bobbitt is "involved and knowledgeable of what contracts are out there and what changes might be made," Rutledge later said.
Bobbitt, who has led the state's largest university system since November 2011, will stay on with the system through Dec. 31, 2018, according to the contract approved Thursday. He will continue earning $500,000 annually, which trustees set in September 2015 to be retroactive to July 1 of that year.
Metro on 01/27/2017