New SDSU President under fire for Monsanto ties
Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 9:16 am
South Dakota State University President David Chicoine will earn almost $400,000 in salary and stock options in the next year as a member of the board of directors for agribusiness firm Monsanto.
That is more than his annual salary as the head of South Dakota's largest university.
Chicoine's appointment was effective in April, and some SDSU students and faculty members have questioned him about his new role and its connection to an existing business relationship between the company and the public university.
Monsanto has contracted with SDSU for services and has contributed $367,000 in grants to researchers there. In March, the ag company gave SDSU $1 million to set up a plant-breeding fellowship.
While it's not uncommon for university officials to sit on the boards of private firms, some researchers worry this arrangement will cast doubts on the independence and credibility of the agricultural research being done on the Brookings campus. Skeptics say it might limit their job opportunities with competing firms, and a Kansas State University business ethics expert cautioned that such relationships could lead to conflicts.
http://www.argusleader.com/article/2009 ... /1001/news
That is more than his annual salary as the head of South Dakota's largest university.
Chicoine's appointment was effective in April, and some SDSU students and faculty members have questioned him about his new role and its connection to an existing business relationship between the company and the public university.
Monsanto has contracted with SDSU for services and has contributed $367,000 in grants to researchers there. In March, the ag company gave SDSU $1 million to set up a plant-breeding fellowship.
While it's not uncommon for university officials to sit on the boards of private firms, some researchers worry this arrangement will cast doubts on the independence and credibility of the agricultural research being done on the Brookings campus. Skeptics say it might limit their job opportunities with competing firms, and a Kansas State University business ethics expert cautioned that such relationships could lead to conflicts.
http://www.argusleader.com/article/2009 ... /1001/news
