UW provost tapped for Nike's board

University of Washington Provost Phyllis Wise has taken on a second job — as a director on the corporate board of Nike, the ubiquitous athletic apparel and equipment company.

As the UW's No. 2 administrator, Wise now earns $535,000 in salary and deferred compensation. She said she hasn't asked Nike about compensation, but last year the company paid its 10 directors $132,000 to $217,000 each in cash and stock, according to its annual report.

The directors usually meet five times each year.

"I think they were seeking someone who is very familiar with higher education and someone who has experience in a university that has a sports program," Wise said Friday.

The appointment comes one year after the UW's athletic department signed a 10-year contract with Nike for the Portland-based company to be the school's exclusive provider of footwear, apparel and certain sports equipment.

Wise said she had nothing to do with the Nike contract and won't be involved with it in the future.

"Athletics does not report to me," she said. "And certainly we are putting a wall between any dealings with Nike and the UW, or the UW and Nike, and me."

The Nike contract is worth a minimum $35 million to the UW over the 10 years, and it comes with incentives that could push it to $39 million. It's paid in a combination of product and money.

Many Division I schools have deals with Nike, including nine of the 10 PAC-10 schools. When the UW signed with Nike last year, UW Athletic Director Scott Woodward said the size of the deal "puts us up with the elite BCS (Bowl Championship Series) schools."

It's not uncommon for top administrators at large universities to sit on corporate boards.

UW President Mark Emmert, who earns $905,000 annually in total compensation, sits on the boards of two local Fortune 500 companies, Expeditors International and Weyerhaeuser. In those roles, he earns an extra $340,000 annually in cash and stock.

Wise's appointment has angered some students who have been pressuring the UW to put Nike on notice about perceived worker abuses in poorer countries.

"It's really troubling," said Maggie Schupp, a senior who is a member of the UW Student Labor Action Project. "Where is the accountability in this scenario? It's another example of universities colluding with companies."

Earlier this month, the student group sent a seven-page letter to Emmert urging him to put pressure on Nike to improve its practices. The group argued that Nike is violating its licensing agreement with the UW because of its treatment of Honduran workers.

Wise said the student group has contacted her and she plans to meet with them. She said she will explain to the students that her appointment to Nike will have no influence on the group's negotiations with the UW over the Nike contract.

In a news release, Nike founder Phil Knight said that Wise's "outstanding academic career, experience as a respected university leader and administrator of a multi-billion-dollar budget for the University of Washington, is a rare combination that makes her an ideal addition to our board."

A Nike spokeswoman Friday declined to answer further questions about the appointment.

Wise said she serves on other boards that don't pay compensation, including the Bullitt Foundation and the Allen Institute for Brain Science.

"I was approached by Nike because they were interested in me, and I didn't ask about compensation," she said. "I'm hoping to learn a lot, and I'm hoping to contribute a lot."

Nick Perry: 206-515-5639 or nperry@seattletimes.com