If you’re looking for some easy money, be a search firm.
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At the time the Parker firm recommended the university hire Teague, he was the subject of a sexual discrimination complaint at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he was athletic director.
According to the recently released documents, the University of Minnesota paid Parker Executive Search-an executive search firm-more than $110,000 to make sure Teague was the right person to hire.
The contract included an extra $35,000 in “candidate fees” and miscellaneous expenses, but figures released by the U on Friday indicate the school paid a total of $104,422.22 in fiscal 2012, plus another $8,116,94 in fiscal 2013.
The search failed to reveal that the women’s basketball coach at Virginia Commonwealth University filed a complaint against Teague when he was athletic director there.
“The VCU attorney gave no indication of any concerns about Teague and, in fact, was highly complementary of him in the conversation”, the University statement says.
Teague resigned his position at the U of M earlier this month after he was accused of harassing two female employees at the school.
Parker’s president, Laurie Wilder, told the Star Tribune on Monday that she would not comment on the company’s background check of Teague, but said candidates are asked to disclose “any potential areas of controversy or concern”.
The university released a statement from four members of the 2012 search committee.
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In a statement, members of the search advisory committee said they are “shocked and dismayed”, but said it was the search firm’s responsibility, the Pioneer Press reported.
