What is the protocol of higher education? Is it proper for departing administrators to put into place policies or practices that a new administration will have to follow and execute when he or she moves into the vacated office?

Should incoming presidents and chancellors be handcuffed by policies and actions that the new administrator may not favor?

In June, Robert Hemenway will retire as Kansas University’s chancellor and Provost Richard Lariviere will leave KU to take the presidency of the University of Oregon.

Their replacements have not been selected and the question is: Should the new administrators be allowed the luxury of making their own decisions about important matters and challenges when they take office, or should Hemenway and Lariviere make commitments that hog-tie the incoming chancellor and provost?

For example, earlier this week, it was announced Hemenway had agreed to give KU Athletics Director Lew Perkins an additional $750,000 bonus if the controversial athletics director stayed in office through June 30, 2009, 10 weeks from now. That amount was added to the $1.3 million “retention” bonus that was part of Perkins’ original 2003 contract after the AD agreed in 2006 not to pursue a recruitment effort by the University of Iowa.

There is growing anger, frustration and disappointment among faculty members over the cozy relationship between Hemenway and Perkins. The news about Perkins’ additional bonus strikes particularly hard at a time when cuts are being made in numerous areas of the university and the athletics department has just said it cannot afford to pick up the tab for discounted faculty tickets to KU athletic events.

There isn’t enough money for many purposes, but Perkins can walk away from KU on July 1 with a $2.05 million bonus and who knows what other goodies.

It would be interesting to know how the chancellor’s search committee will explain the KU athletics director situation to people they are trying to convince to be candidates for the Mount Oread job.

Several on the selection committee are as big, if not bigger, sports fans than the chancellor, although that’s difficult to imagine. Will a candidate’s view on intercollegiate sports and the role of an athletics director play a significant role in whom the committee recommends to the Kansas Board of Regents?

What will the new chancellor think about Perkins and the widespread belief that the athletics director and the chancellor are almost attached at the hip? Will Perkins want to stay at KU if he cannot have the freedom he has enjoyed with Hemenway? Will he decide to move on, or is there some way Hemenway can extend Perkins’ contract to make it difficult and/or costly for a new chancellor to terminate him?

Again, what are current and retired faculty members to think when they are told the athletics department cannot afford to provide discounted faculty and staff tickets to athletics events while, at the same time, Perkins, one of the nation’s highest paid ADs, is in line for a $2.05 million bonus?

Something is out of whack at KU.