CHICAGO--“Much ado about everything” is how Chicago State University faculty senate president Yan Searcy describes the state of affairs of the university right now — and the new academic year is just getting started. Recent news reports about the university’s accreditation and newly appointed president Wayne Watson’s contract has the campus buzzing.

Watson, who most recently served as chancellor of the City Colleges of Chicago and was supposed to start his CSU tenure Aug. 1, applied for a pension based on his years with City Colleges. He has been denied twice by the State University Retirement System, most recently on Aug. 31. Illinois retirement policies prevent him from collecting his pension because he took a new state higher education job within 60 days of leaving as chancellor, according to a recent Chicago Tribune article. He has appealed that decision, and his new start date is Oct. 1.

In the article, Watson said that he did not know how the start-date glitch occurred and that he was volunteering without pay from Aug. 1 to Oct. 1.

Searcy told Diverse that he attended the President’s Executive Council meeting in mid-August when Watson announced that he would be operating in a “voluntary consultant” capacity until Oct. 1 and that current provost Dr. Sandra Westbrooks would be renamed “acting president” as she was over the summer. “It’s just peculiar,” adds Searcy.

Dr. Phil Beverly, associate professor of political science and a member of the faculty senate, saw Watson’s contract following his appointment and says the “glitch” comment is “a little disingenuous.”

According to Beverly, the contract gives a start date of Aug. 1 but states he will not be paid until Oct. 1.

“That’s the first thing I noticed when I read the contract,” says Beverly referring to the two dates. “I thought this very curious,” adding that Watson has been on campus over the summer and running meetings.