Faculty group urges UW provost to quit Nike board

A University of Washington faculty group says the UW's integrity, image and academic freedom are threatened by Provost Phyllis Wise's decision to join the corporate board of Nike.

The executive board of the American Association of University Professors, UW chapter (AAUP-UW), issued a strongly worded statement Monday urging Wise to step down from the board position she accepted six weeks ago.

It represents the first official reaction to the Nike controversy by a faculty group — but perhaps not the last. The UW Faculty Senate is to meet later this month, and Nike is on the agenda. Senate chair Bruce Balick said emotions among some faculty are running high, although opinions vary.

"I understand that reasonable people hold differing views on whether university administrators should serve on corporate boards," Wise said in a statement Monday. "I believe universities and corporations have much to learn from each other. Corporate leaders serving on university boards of trustees and regents and university leaders serving on corporate boards can benefit both and can do so in ethically responsible ways."

Some argue Wise faces a conflict of interest, or at least the appearance of a conflict. That's because the UW athletic department in 2008 signed an exclusive 10-year contract with Nike, worth at least $35 million to the university, and also because a UW committee is calling on President Mark Emmert to censure Nike over its labor standards.

There's also concern over the amount of money Wise could earn. As the UW's No. 2 administrator, she makes $535,000 in salary and deferred compensation. Last fiscal year, Nike directors earned between $132,000 and $217,000 each in cash and stock, according to the company's annual statement.

In its statement, the AAUP-UW said the provost's decision to accept the Nike position "creates a conflict of interest that is particularly worrisome," given Nike's "bullying tactics" at the University of Oregon and other campuses that have raised questions about worker treatment.

The group said Gov. Chris Gregoire's recent appointment of former Starbucks executive Orin Smith — who also is a Nike board member — to the UW Board of Regents heightens their concerns.

The group said Wise's appointment will likely have a "chilling effect" on future research about labor violations that implicates Nike, and that it isn't in the best interests of the UW for top administrators to "offer up knowledge about the institution" to corporations — especially when the administrator stands to personally benefit.

The AAUP-UW also cited a public-relations problem, saying both the provost and Emmert — who sits on two corporate boards — already earn "excessive" salaries and are bringing "harmful public attention" by appearing to be "cashing in on their public positions."

Janelle Taylor, president of the AAUP-UW, said 15 out of 17 members of the executive board responded over the holiday period, and those 15 voted unanimously to endorse the group's statement.

The group directly represents a couple of hundred faculty members and oversees a faculty list-serve with 1,300 members, Taylor said.

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