What’s in Ender’s contract
Harper College President Kenneth Ender’s annual compensation package, before expenses, totals more than $322,000.
His salary is $240,000 and he receives an annual housing allowance of $20,000 to help with the mortgage payments for his Inverness home, paid out in 26 installments.
He gets a $1,000 monthly vehicle allowance, and $25,000 for the purchase of life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability insurance and tax-sheltered annuities.
The college annually contributes to the State Universities Retirement System of Illinois, “an amount sufficient to offset any contribution that the President would otherwise be required to make,” according to his contract. That would amount to at least 8 percent of his salary, since SURS requires employees to contribute that percentage of their salary a year.
The college also contributes $25,000 a year to the president’s deferred compensation plan.
Along with those defined amounts, Ender is allowed to charge a number of business-related expenses to the community college.
It allows expenses for “educational conferences, conventions, workshops, seminars and similar professional activities and events,” as well as expenses for his wife as such activities “from time to time.”
The contract also provide for reimbursement for expenses for travel, entertainment and other “activities undertaken by the President on behalf of the college.”
All expenses are allowed with “reasonable review and approval by the Board’s chairperson.”