Lombardi will resign,
says he goes willingly

John Lombardi, president of the University of Florida, tells reporters Tuesday in Gainesville that he will leave his post Nov. 1. [Times photo: Michael Weimar]

UF's president says no conflicts were to blame, but conflicts there were - and aplenty. His upcoming evaluation was not expected to be full of praise.

By STEPHEN HEGARTY and BARRY KLEIN

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 25, 1999

GAINESVILLE -- University of Florida President John Lombardi said Tuesday that he will leave his job Nov. 1, ending a long tenure marked by controversies and accomplishments.

At a news conference, Lombardi, UF's leader since 1990, insisted he was resigning willingly. He said he was looking forward to returning to the faculty, where he will do research on the history of Venezuela.

"There are no conflicts that have produced this," Lombardi said. "During my tenure at the institution, there have always been conflicts. Conflict is not an issue for me. I welcome it."

Some, including his bosses, do not.

Lombardi's resignation came as university system Chancellor Adam Herbert was preparing an evaluation of the UF president's performance. It was not expected to be laudatory.

One item to be discussed was an incident in which Lombardi berated two visiting law school deans who met with him last year as part of a review of UF's college of law.

The tirade included a number of vulgar insults and elicited a letter from the deans in which they referred to the president as an "immature bully."

A

Howard Troxler This time there was no net -- only rope. Students hail UF leader's record

lso to be discussed were the substantial pay raises Lombardi secretly handed out several months ago to several of his most loyal vice presidents.

The raises ranged from $25,000 to almost $40,000 and came at a time when state lawmakers were complaining to Herbert about escalating administrative pay.

What particularly annoyed Herbert was Lombardi's decision to pay Elizabeth Capaldi, his provost and No. 2 administrator, an annual salary of $260,000.

That is $5,000 more than the salary paid Herbert, who runs the entire university system. It is considerably more than what is earned by the state's other university presidents.

Herbert is said to have viewed the raise as a sign of contempt from Lombardi. It also may explain an unusual clause in the resignation agreement.

From now until his departure, Lombardi must consult with the chancellor before making any personnel changes affecting higher-ranking administrators.

Herbert was gracious Tuesday in his remarks about the president, who three years ago referred to the chancellor, an African-American, as an "Oreo." That insult kicked off a statewide furor, and almost cost Lombardi his job.

Herbert noted that Lombardi has led UF to records in enrollment, endowment funding and sponsored research.

"'I respect President Lombardi as an individual," Herbert said. "He is a brilliant man who has helped to establish the university as one of the premier higher education institutions in the United States."

Board of Regents chairman Dennis Ross said he has mixed feelings about Lombardi's resignation.

He recognized the contributions Lombardi has made to UF's development, but said it was clearly time for a change in leadership.

"I wish him the very best in his new academic pursuits," Ross said.

To the end, Lombardi had plenty of supporters.

Gov. Jeb Bush said he woke up Tuesday morning to a barrage of e-mail messages urging that Lombardi be retained.

Bush was not enthusiastic about the prospect. He said he was concerned about some of the actions Lombardi has taken, including the recent pay raises.

More important than any one controversy, Bush said, is the corrosive effect of the president's many run-ins with his bosses.

In part, that accumulation may be due to his long tenure as president. At almost 10 years, Lombardi's run is twice the national norm for a college president.

He said now seemed like the right time to say goodbye.

"We are in good shape," said Lombardi, who recently bought a home in the Gainesville area where he will live. "This is a great time for the university to change its leadership."

Lombardi said he has been contemplating his retirement for some time. He said he began talking with Herbert about the terms during the summer.

He didn't explain why he abruptly canceled a news conference called for Monday. He said that after lawyers worked up draft proposals, he had a relatively brief and amicable phone conversation with Herbert on Tuesday to settle the details.

"We agreed on them all in 20 minutes," Lombardi said. "Without any difficulty at all."

Others said the negotiations were considerably tougher.

Ross said the departure date was one sticking point. So was Lombardi's request that he be named president emeritus after he resigned.

Herbert agreed to recommend to the regents that Lombardi be given the designation of president emeritus upon his retirement. The final decision, however, is up to the board.

There was a compromise on the departure date. Lombardi had sought to leave just before the New Year. Herbert had initially hoped to have him out before classes began this week.

At one point Tuesday, Herbert was said to be so frustrated with the negotiations that he was considering calling a special meeting of the regents.

If that had happened, Lombardi might have been reduced to a regular member of the faculty, which would have meant a much more drastic cut in pay than his reduction from $250,000 annually to $225,000.

It's unclear whether the announcement had any relation to an allegation that Lombardi may have misused state personnel resources, apparently in connection with his daughter's 1997 wedding, which was held at Lombardi's university-provided mansion.

Herbert said he could not comment. David Coury, the university's system's inspector general, acknowledged that the chancellor's office has received an allegation involving the president and misused resources, but could not confirm that it involved the wedding.

Wilbur Brewton, the Tallahassee lawyer representing Lombardi, said officials have not asked about the wedding expenses, but said he told them: "We would be happy to show the inspector general all of the wedding receipts. No one has taken me up on the offer."

A list obtained by the St. Petersburg Times indicated Lombardi wrote dozens of personal checks totaling more than $56,000 to cover wedding costs.

There was no indication of when the checks were written, and no way to determine whether they covered all costs.

Ross, the regents chairman, said he hopes to name a search committee for Lombardi's replacement within the next several days. He said an interim president will have to be appointed.

A presidential search at the state's largest and most prestigious university could have implications for the University of South Florida, which is just beginning to look for a replacement for President Betty Castor, who is leaving next month.

Ross, a graduate of USF, said he isn't concerned that UF might skim the cream of the candidates: "These are different universities. UF is one of the top 50 in the country. With all due respect, USF is not quite there yet. I assume the two schools will attract different fields of candidates."

-- Times staff writer Lucy Morgan contributed to this report.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.