June 18, 2003

Chancellor McCormick's contract extended two years by Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees

Contact Public Affairs: Linda Kohl, Public Affairs, (651) 296-9595 or Nancy Conner, (651) 296-0541

Chancellor James H. McCormick will serve until June 30, 2007, under a two-year contract extension unanimously approved today by the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees, which gave him high praise after an annual performance review.

"Chancellor McCormick continues to meet the board's extremely high expectations," Board Chair Mary Choate said. "The assessment showed he is providing outstanding educational and professional leadership, inspiration and motivation, and he represents the system and our 33 colleges and universities very effectively."

This year, the assessment of the chancellor was expanded beyond the board to include top administrators, college and university presidents, and statewide union and student representatives.

The board decided that although McCormick's performance deserves a corresponding salary increase, it is not in a position to offer a raise because of the system's budget situation after the state appropriation was cut $191.5 million.

McCormick's annual salary will remain at $250,000, the level set last June when the board also extended his contract by one year through June 30, 2005.

McCormick, 64, was chancellor of the State System of Higher Education for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania before assuming his position July 2, 2001, as head of the Minnesota system. McCormick and his wife, Maryan McCormick, live in Woodbury.

The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system comprises 33 state universities, community colleges, technical colleges and combined community and technical colleges located on 53 campuses across the state. The system serves approximately 235,000 students annually in credit-based courses and another 130,000 in non-credit courses.