MUNCIE — Ball State University says President Paul Ferguson resigned voluntarily, but the terms of his severance agreement sound more like he was terminated without cause.
The severance agreement approved on Monday by the university's board of trustees calls for Ferguson to immediately take a paid, two-month sabbatical leave followed by a year of severance pay at his base salary of $450,000.
Yet the five-year employment contract Ferguson signed in 2014 indicates he would either owe the university damages or it would stop paying him if he resigned before 2019.
When board chairman Rick Hall, an Indianapolis attorney, was asked on Monday whether Ferguson was directed to resign, he responded: "No. He offered to resign."
While on sabbatical leave, Ferguson will be relieved of all presidential duties and Ball State will begin its search for a successor, though the resignation doesn't officially take effect until March 25. The president submitted his resignation on Jan. 25.
"He asked for the sabbatical leave and offered to resign, and the board granted his request," said Hall, who repeatedly called Ferguson's departure a mutual agreement in the best interest of both Ferguson and the university.
Hall and other trustees have remained silent on the reasons for Ferguson's sudden and mysterious departure less than 18 months on the job. BSU spokesperson Joan Todd on Tuesday told The Star Press that "there was no scandal. It was a mutual agreement, and that’s all there is to tell."