Former IU spokesman still draws paycheck

Christopher Simpson, former IU vice president for public affairs and government relations, has collected $35,000 so far acting as a consultant to the University. Simpson agreed to a one-year contract that paid him $10,000 a month. The deal went into effect the same day as he tendered his resignation, July 15. \n"He's needed just for continuity purposes, it's a transition issue," said IU board of trustees Vice President Frederick Eichhorn. "Anytime you make a change, you want some overlap so that there isn't anything that gets lost in the transition."\nSimpson said IU President Myles Brand wanted to keep Simpson's marketing momentum moving. \n"If you look at the Office of Communications and Marketing, which I use to lead, in the six-to-12 months prior to my departure the two top people had left," Simpson said. "There was an obvious dearth in expertise when I departed, I was the one that designed and implemented a five-year long marketing strategy that has dramatically increased IU's national presence as well as IU's enrollment. \n"The president was concerned we'd lose some of the ground we made." \nUnder the terms of the contract, Simpson stayed to consult IU during the transitional period in which special assistant to Brand, Bill Stephan, took over the vice president for public affairs office on an interim basis. \n"I think it's to ensure consistency and continuity of efforts, particularly in our marketing and communications area," Stephan said. "In the last year, in addition to Christopher Simpson, there have been the departures of Sandra Conn and J.T. Forbes, two other key staff. Really, you had in the span of a year, the departure of three different people in this one particular area."\nThe contract highlights a number of expectations for Simpson in his consulting role. These include continuing a University-wide marketing campaign, designing an international marketing campaign, designing a crisis communications plan for all IU campuses except Bloomington and meeting with the Public Affairs and Government Relations staff on a variety of marketing subjects.\nSimpson said much hasn't changed in his new role.\n"I don't oversee a staff of 55 people, but other than that it's very similar," Simpson said. "It's a very extensive contract." \nBut, the contract maintains that all input by Simpson as a consultant is advisory, not set in stone.\nStephan said he and Simpson maintain contact through phone calls, e-mail and monthly meetings. \nSimpson said he holds contracts with institutions across the country as well as in Europe. But IU is special to him.\n"I spent seven years building a very important marketing strategy," Simpson said. "I've got a very strong spot in my heart for Indiana University. Let me put it this way, reporters have been trying to call me Monday and last Friday, and I couldn't get back to them because I was at meetings at Indiana University."\nStephan said the monthly payouts to Simpson are reasonable.\n"I don't know that it's fair (to criticize it) if you take into account that we lost the three senior-most staff in the entire operation and that in that you're trying to help safeguard against any slippage in terms of the effort," Stephan said. "It's not uncommon, there's precedent for it in the private sector, where you engage an individual to assist staff as you move forward. I understand why folks may be asking some questions about it, that's certainly fair enough, but I don't think that it's inappropriate."\nStephan said he would seek the vice president for public affairs position full-time.\n"I hope to discuss that with President Brand before the year is out and assess where things stand," Stephan said. "It would certainly be my hope to remain in this position longterm."\nAlthough Brand made the decision to give Simpson a consulting position, Eichhorn said it was not against the views of the board.\n"It was mentioned to us, but we did not make that decision," he said. "But I think it's a good idea to provide for transition." \nSimpson's contract expires July 14, 2002, but Stephan said it would be possible for circumstances to arise that led to extending Simpson's contract, but that it was too early to speculate. \n"I certainly would like it to be a longterm partnership," he said. \nSimpson, who came to IU in 1995, left to pursue development of Simpson Communications LLC, a company Simpson co-created with his wife, Millie. The Bloomington-based firm focuses on marketing and public relations services.