UND athletic director Brian Faison will continue to be paid for more than a year after he retires on Dec. 31.
In addition to being paid his regular rate-a $193,707 annual salary-through June 30, he will also receive two lump sums after that, according to the early retirement agreement signed by UND President Mark Kennedy on Tuesday.
Faison will be paid $96,853 on July 31 and again on Jan. 15, 2019.
Faison also retain health benefits through June 30, 2019.
The retirement agreement also has a mutual non-disparagement clause, preventing both Faison and UND from making "derogatory, negative or disparaging statements" about each other.
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"It is typical of the agreements for individuals who retire early under State Board of Higher Education Policy 703.1," UND spokesperson Peter Johnson told the Herald. "In recent years, we've had people at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Student Affairs, Finance and Operations, and the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences early retire under this policy."
The policy cited by Johnson says that "an agreement may be negotiated providing for payment of up to 100 percent of the employee's final year contract salary if the sum of the employee's age and total years of employment equals 70 or greater."
Faison announced Tuesday that he was retiring on Dec. 31 after nine years as UND's athletic director. He will stay on board as a special adviser to the new athletic director through June 30.
"As desired by the Director of Athletics, (Faison) will be available by cell phone, email or if requested, in person, and will respond as soon as practicable," the retirement agreement says about Faison's role as special adviser.
Faison's retirement comes just a month after UND hired a consulting firm to review four top athletic department figures. Kennedy said Tuesday that Faison's retirement came in conjunction with the review.
UND will conduct a national search for the next athletic director and plans to have someone in place by Faison's retirement date of Dec. 31.
