FIU signs off on new salary for interim president: $503K
Florida International University’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved Thursday a $503,000 one-year contract for Interim President Kenneth Jessell, who replaced Mark Rosenberg after he resigned in January as president amid misconduct allegations by a woman who worked with him.
Jessell’s salary will be slightly higher than what Rosenberg earned per year, $502,578.63. That’s a 10 percent increase over Jessell’s previous salary of $457,302.65 as chief financial officer and senior vice president for finance and administration at FIU.
Read More: FIU staffer who worked with Rosenberg said he called her ‘princess,’ report says
The board of trustees appointed Jessell, 66, as interim president during an emergency meeting Jan. 21, the same day that Rosenberg, 72, abruptly resigned as president, a post he held for 12 years. Before being named interim president, Rosenberg had been FIU’s CFO and senior vice president since 2009.
“I’m very excited to be serving FIU in this new capacity,” Jessell told the Herald after the board meeting Thursday. “I feel I have a good handle on a lot of the challenges and the opportunities.”
READ MORE: Who is FIU’s new interim president, Kenneth Jessell? He was Mark Rosenberg’s right hand
The Florida Board of Governors, the body that oversees Florida’s 12 state universities, confirmed Jessell’s appointment at its Feb. 24 meeting.
In addition to his base salary, Jessell could receive a performance-based bonus of up to $150,000, just like Rosenberg did.
READ MORE: Rosenberg could return as professor making $377K
Although Jessell’s employment agreement runs from Jan. 21, 2022 — the date the board selected him following Rosenberg’s resignation — to Jan. 20, 2023, it could end early if the board hires a new president before the end of his contract.
At the same meeting Thursday, the board announced it will launch a national search for FIU’s sixth president in the next few weeks. Jessell has indicated he’s not interested in holding the position permanently, but nothing prohibits him from applying for the position.
The chair of the board of trustees, Miami attorney Dean Colson, confirmed Thursday that Jessell won’t be a part of the search process, which Colson estimated would last from six to nine months.
In the meantime, Jessell will act as interim leader of the fourth-largest public university in the U.S., with more than 56,000 students.
“He’s interim, but I call him president because he’s doing such a good job,” Colson said about Jessell after the board meeting.
Jessell, a three-time graduate of Florida State University, will get a monthly cellphone allowance of $140 and an annual $80,000 retirement supplement from FIU, as well as vacation, sick leave, and health insurance, disability and life insurance coverage.
On Thursday, Jessell said he doesn’t see the “interim” title as an impediment to undertaking large and long-term projects.
READ MORE: ‘We have work to do’ on campus culture: FIU interim president addresses sexual harassment
“Everything that we’re doing as an institution is aligned with our strategic plan,” he said. “There’s no reason to wait for a project. We’re going to move forward.”
After his tenure as interim president concludes, Jessell will return to his previous position as CFO and senior vice president. In turn, interim CFO Aime Martinez will return to her former post managing the FIU Office of Financial Planning.
Jessell, a tenured faculty member at FIU, will also return to teaching finance courses.
Before arriving at FIU, Jessell worked at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton for 26 years.
This story was originally published March 3, 2022 at 5:56 PM.
