UNC athletics director Bubba Cunningham has signed a new six-year contract with the university that includes a 4.9 percent increase in annual salary.
The university announced the extension on Friday. The contract was approved by the UNC Board of Trustees in a mail ballot on November 1, according to documents provided for the board meeting on Thursday.
Cunningham’s new contract runs through June 30, 2023, and has a base salary of $740,440. That 4.9 percent increase falls just under the provision that all salary increases of five percent and above must be approved by the UNC System Board of Governors.
Cunningham also received two 10 percent pay increases in the 2016 calendar year.
The system Board of Governors also approved a deferred compensation package for Cunningham earlier this month providing $200,000 per year as a “longevity incentive compensation award,” according to Cunningham’s new contract.
Board chair Lou Bissette referred to the deferred compensation as a “golden handcuff” after voting to approve the extension of the program to Cunningham. Cunningham’s inclusion in the program caused some disagreement on the board as it has previously been reserved for the system president and university chancellors.
Three board members voted against extending the program to Cunningham, citing the recent end to the university’s long-running NCAA academic investigation and the “optics” of extending this program to any athletics director.
UNC Chancellor Carol Folt lobbied for extending the program to Cunningham at the Board of Governors meeting saying that he was in demand when other high-level universities were looking for someone to hold that position at their institution. Cunningham turned down the same role at the University of Florida, which was reportedly set to offer Cunningham a higher salary than he is receiving in his new contract at UNC.
Cunningham’s contract includes pay incentives for academic performance of student-athletes across UNC athletics. He is also set to receive $100,000 if the Carolina men’s basketball team wins the national championship over the duration of the contract, among other athletics incentives.
“I deeply appreciate Bubba’s commitment, day-in and day-out, to our student-athletes, coaches and university,” Folt said in a release announcing the contract on Friday. “He is a key member of my executive team, and his dedication to the student-athlete experience, both on and off the field, is just one example of why he is such an important leader in the field of college athletics and student success both at Carolina and in the United States.”
Cunningham also issued a statement:
“Carolina Athletics’ mission is to educate and inspire through athletics, and I am honored and excited to continue to work each day with our talented student-athletes, dedicated coaches and staff, and committed University colleagues. Thank you to Chancellor Folt, as well as to the Boards of Trustees and Board of Governors, for continuing to provide me with this incredible opportunity.”
UNC athletics teams have won several national championships, including the 2017 men’s basketball title, during Cunningham’s tenure in Chapel Hill. UNC has also been under the NCAA microscope for the scandal involving so-called paper classes.
The NCAA issued a ruling last month criticizing the university for its actions during the investigation, but the Committee on Infractions ultimately wrote that it could not conclude NCAA rules were broken. The investigation was into allegations that pre-dated Cunningham’s tenure at UNC.
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