UVM Report Clears President's Wife of Wrongdoing, But Cites Morale Problems

Rachel Kahn-Fogel's relationship with a top University of Vermont official violated no university policies and broke no state harassment laws. But her role in university fund-raising — and the preferential treatment she and her husband, UVM President Dan Fogel, provided to some staff — created "an environment negatively affecting morale."

That's the key conclusion of a report issued today that wraps up a months-long investigation into the activities of Kahn-Fogel (pictured) and other top university officials. UVM released the report today following a brief, closed-door session of the board of trustees.

"With respect to this matter, I want to express both my regret that this situation was allowed to continue for as long as it did, and my confidence that we will effectively address these types of issues going forward," said UVM Board of Trustees Chairman Rob Cioffi in announcing the report's results. "Human error and fallibility will always be with us. In an educational community, it is important that we learn from our mistakes and take appropriate corrective action to avoid them in the future, for the benefit of the entire university community."

After the meeting, Cioffi told reporters that he's not sure the board could have acted sooner than it did, though he did admit that it's likely some board members knew some of the details regarding the internal strife between Kahn-Fogel and some staff.

Fogel Earned Less Than Other University Heads

Unremarked upon amid the upset over UVM President Dan Fogel's $411,000 compensation package is the fact that he's gotten substantially less annual pay than the heads of at least two other post-secondary schools in Vermont.

Gov. Peter Shumlin had it right when he cautioned that Fogel's take is not exceptional “because you can go to any institution of higher learning in the country and find this now.”

Well, not quite any institution of higher learning. But Shumlin's statement certainly applies to at least two Vermont institutions other than UVM: Middlebury College and Champlain College.

According to a survey for 2008-09 published last November by the Chronicle of Higher Education, both Ron Leibowitz of Middlebury and David Finney of Champlain earned more than Fogel: about $730,000 and $510,000, respectively. And depending on how Fogel's remuneration is calculated, St. Michael's College President John Neuhauser, with annual compensation of nearly $400,000, may also have earned more than the top Cat.

UVM Profs Rankled by President's Severance Package

Well, that didn't take long: Today, the union representing more than 800 University of Vermont faculty criticized the pay package granted to outgoing president Dan Fogel.

In a letter to the UVM Board of Trustees, the faculty union said it was "dismayed and profoundly disappointed by the compensation package provided to President Fogel, as he steps down from the UVM presidency."

Fogel announced last week he was stepping down from the presidency a year early due to "deeply personal reasons," largely stemming from an internal UVM investigation focusing on his wife, Rachel Kahn-Fogel, who was found to have had a six-year emotional relationship with a key UVM fundraiser and had tense relations with other top executives.

Fogel's last day is July 31. This week, UVM trustees named former provost John Bramley as the interim president. His first day of work is August 1.