The University of Vermont is in the midst of a controversy right now involving two top administrators — including former president Daniel Fogel — who will be paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in severance money as they are being shown the door.<\/p>\n
Between them, the two executives, who were let go following a high-profile marital infidelity scandal, will cost UVM more than half a million dollars in pay with no work done in return, according to the Burlington Free Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n In a statement, the school’s board of trustees chairman Robert Cioffi acknowledged that the payments were controversial.<\/p>\n \u201cCertainly I have heard a significant amount of anger, frustration and second-guessing around this situation,\u201d Cioffi said in his statement, \u201cand I completely understand the reasons for those views. I recognize that it\u2019s a lot of money, but in the national marketplace for university presidents, it is not at all out of line.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n This kind of thing is sadly common in government.<\/p>\n Former state Senator Pedro Espada, ousted from his seat and now facing Federal corruption charges, managed to rack up nearly $800,000 in staffing and office expenses<\/a> before being shooed from office.<\/p>\n