High severance package given to former president has alumni wary of giving.
Donations to Concordia University have dropped as much as 80 per cent following the (alleged) firing of president Judith Woodsworth. Student newspaper, The Link reports that “donations fell to $50 on some days—an average day before the dismissal could see callers bring in several thousand dollars.”
While it’s certainly not surprising that donations dropped dramatically in the wake of Woodsworth’s departure, I’ve got to note that the details in the Link’s story are anecdotal and based on anonymous interviews with students who solicit donations from alumni by phone. The University has said it’s still too early to comment on the effect Woodsworth’s departure had on donations.
The main issue seems to be the large severance package given to Woodsworth.
“Most alumni just said, ‘You just wasted $700,000 on a leaving president, I don’t feel like donating to you now.’ It seemed to me like the focus was on the severance pay,” one solicitor told the paper.
Interestingly, the donation-soliciting students were briefed by the school’s communications director during the second week of the semester.