2021-889 - Laserfiche WebLink

Ethics Board Docket No. 2021-889 Page 5 of 13 However, he continued to perform the same business development duties that had been previously approved and compensated under the 2016 arrangement with President Alexander. (d) Following his promotion,the University's Human Resources department continued processing and disbursing the supplemental compensation payments without interruption, under the previously approved compensation structure. These payments were processed through LSUHSC-NO's formal payroll system, were properly recorded in university financial records, were transparent, were subject to taxation, and were visible to internal audit personnel. (e) He did not personally initiate, request, or approve the continuation of supplemental payments after his promotion. Rather, the University's administrative mechanisms and Human Resources department executed these payments as they had prior to his promotion, maintaining continuity with the previously approved compensation structure. (� He reasonably and in good faith relied upon the advice and guidance of Louis Colletta, who served as Chief of Staff to the LSU System and held a senior administrative position within the University. Mr. Colletta specifically advised him, Dr. Hollier, and Human Resources personnel that no new presidential approval was required for the continuation of the supplemental compensation following his promotion. (g) Mr. Colletta's interpretation of LSU Permanent Memorandum 3 (PM-3) was that the policy operated prospectively rather than retrospectively. This interpretation was subsequently documented in the 2021 LSU Internal Audit of LSUHSC-NO, which quoted Mr. Colletta's advice as follows: "Colletta instructed the Chancellor's Administrative Officer to move forward with the request and provided an opinion to Higginson that the policy was prospective, not retrospective; therefore, President approval was unnecessary."