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Wichita State University’s former president, whose resignation last week raised the specter that he’d been forced out because he’d disinvited Ivanka Trump as a commencement speaker, will be paid hundreds of thousands of dollars through June.
Jay Golden resigned without explanation last Friday, less than a year after taking over as the president of the public university in Kansas. The Wichita Eagle has since obtained a document detailing the terms of his departure through an open records request.
Wichita State’s foundation will pay Golden two-thirds of his salary as of Sept. 25 for consulting services. It’s not clear exactly how much that will total, because he’s eligible for forms of compensation on top of his salary. Nor is it clear what consulting services Golden will deliver. But his base salary for 2020 was $450,000, suggesting he’ll collect at least $225,000 plus benefits and the cost of moving.
The former president’s exit agreement prevents him from having official communications with faculty members, staff members or “friends of the university” without first receiving approval from its interim or acting president.
Speculation about Golden’s future began in June, shortly after Wichita State University Tech first announced and then canceled plans for Ivanka Trump, President Donald Trump’s daughter and senior adviser, to give a virtual commencement address. Several donors were reportedly upset by the cancellation, including Koch Industries. One regent has since told the Eagle that Golden’s departure was not related to the Trump controversy, but he did not offer any alternative explanation.
