FINDINGS ON NITZSCHKE CONTRACT COMING TODAY

Missouri Auditor Claire McCaskill plans to release a state audit report today that includes the agency's findings on Southeast Missouri State University's contract with Chancellor Dale Nitzschke.

The findings are part of the agency's statewide review of separation agreements drawn for top university officials throughout the state.

The audit focused on contracts involving Nitzschke, former Central Missouri State University president Ed Elliott and former University of Missouri basketball coach Norm Stewart.

McCaskill is scheduled to disclose the findings at 10 a.m. at a meeting of Central Missouri State's Board of Governors in Warrensburg.

"Those listed in the report have received substantial wages and perks as part of their compensation for retiring, changing positions or becoming consultants for their schools," said auditor spokesman Glenn Campbell. "These lucrative packages resemble those afforded CEOs in the private sector," he said Tuesday.

Campbell said the audit points to the lack of safeguards and performance requirements in some of the contracts. The Southeast contract had more safeguards than the other two contracts, he said.

McCaskill said last month that her office was investigating "possible improprieties" in Southeast's contract with former president Nitzschke. But Southeast officials have insisted it wasn't a "golden parachute" deal.

Southeast President Dr. Ken Dobbins has seen the report. "When the report is released you will find that we have more than adequate safeguards to ensure that the chancellor performs his fund-raising responsibilities and that there are adequate safeguards to ensure that expenditures are proper for the chancellor and all other employees at the university," Dobbins said Tuesday.

Nitzschke was hired as Southeast's 16th president in 1996. He served three years as president before resigning to spend more time with his family. In stepping down, he agreed to continue working for Southeast for two years in the school's new fund-raising chancellor role at a salary of $95,000 a year.

Nitzschke lives in Milford, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati.

Dobbins said Nitzschke has secured more than $3 million in private and federal dollars for the university this fiscal year and could bring in another $18 million in fiscal 2001.

Dobbins said the university and its students are "benefiting significantly" from Nitzschke's work.

He said Nitzschke's fund-raising efforts are crucial to the success of the university's $25 million capital campaign and completion of the polytechnic building and River Campus school for the visual and performing arts.