(Mark Ciavola) – Late yesterday afternoon it was reported that long-time tenured professor, and former congresswoman, Dina Titus was taking a voluntary buyout option at UNLV to retire on June 30, 2011. The voluntary buyout program at UNLV awards departing professors with a lump sum severance of 1.5x their annual salary if they leave UNLV and give up tenure. This program was put in place to cut roughly $5 million from the university’s annual budget, by spending roughly $7.4 million on a one-time buyout program.
Titus told Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Richard Lake, “It’s not like I’m going to go away. I’m going to refocus my energy. I’ll stay in political life, that’s for sure.”
By now, everyone knows that Dina Titus returned to UNLV after losing to Rep. Joe Heck in her bid for re-election to Congress in 2010. It is also common knowledge that she returned to a six-figure annual salary, and a workload which included only one conventional class of 39 students, Women in Politics (PSC 401J). The UNLV College Republicans spent a good portion of the spring 2011 semester demanding answers from UNLV as to why Titus was being paid so much to only teach 39 students.
UNLV President Neal Smatresk finally weighed in on the issue in an April edition of the UNLV Rebel Yell, when he admitted that she should’ve had a higher workload upon her return, and that it wasn’t wise to give her such a light workload due to the politics involved.
However, even with her retirement just a week away this is not a time for her critics to celebrate. As we’ve come to expect from Dina Titus, she has found a way to yet again take advantage of Nevada’s taxpayers.
First, Dina Titus is receiving $161,782.50, 1.5 times her annual salary, to leave UNLV and give up tenure. However, over the past five and a half years she has only taught 4 out of 11 semesters. After taking a three-year unpaid leave of absence, she returned to UNLV for precisely one semester in which she taught precisely one class, and is now walking away with a huge severance. Titus gets the same deal as professors who taught 22 or more classes during that same five and a half year period.
Doesn’t seem right, does it?
Also, with Dina Titus running for Congress in 2012 she would have taken an unpaid leave for the Fall 2012 semester. This means Titus would only be teaching 3 of the next 4 semesters anyway, or 1.5 years over the next 2 years.
Therefore, Dina Titus would be earning the same $161,782.50 over the next two years whether she took the buyout or not.
But wait, it gets better!
Unlike most severance packages, Titus is able to continue teaching on a part-time basis at UNLV – and receive money!
Yes, that’s’ right! Titus can earn additional compensation by teaching classes DURING the severance period!
In fact, this fall Titus is teaching a Nuclear Policy class and being paid $3,000 – $3,500.
This is very simple folks. Dina Titus, by retiring, will be paid more in taxpayer dollars than if she simply stayed at UNLV as a full-time tenured professor.
And in case you were wondering what happens when the two year severance period is over, the answer is simple: The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Board of Regents is able to reinstate tenure at any time, for any reason, if they choose to do so.
Given Dina Titus’ impressive resume of 34 years teaching, her extensive knowledge of nuclear policy, her time spent in Congress, and the fact that UNLV’s dean of the College of Liberal Arts believes “she’s one of our very best teachers,” I can’t imagine the Board of Regents refusing to reinstate Titus’ tenure if she wished to return to full-time teaching at UNLV.
Of course UNLV’s Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Gerry Bomotti told me it’s more likely that he’ll win a medal at the Olympics, than the Board of Regents reinstates Titus’ tenure.
Right, Gerry. Right.
Although none of this will matter if Dina Titus returns to Congress next year, now that she has ample time to remind voters why they replaced her in 2008.
Just once I’d like to see those on the public payroll look out for the taxpayers. Just once.
(Mark Ciavola is president of the UNLV College Republicans.)
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