SIU extends Poshard's contract by 5 years

CARBONDALE -- Southern Illinois University has given President Glenn Poshard a five-year contract extension.

SIU's trustees unanimously signed off on the deal, which keeps Poshard presiding over the university system until at least 2015. He was appointed to the job in 2005.

The former congressman earns $300,000 with a $27,500 annual housing allowance and $55,000-a-year retirement annuity.

Poshard says the board told him as early as last year that it planned to renew his contract, which was to end in 2010.

Board Chairman Roger Tedrick says the deal secures Poshard's "talents for another term, and we are grateful for his willingness to serve."