One thing the Mary Easley-N.C. State story is proving is the fact that the smell doesn’t get any better the deeper in the cesspool you go.

Today’s N & O story describes how State changed its tune twice about how long Larry Nielsen gets to collect his provost-level $298,700 salary (after he was forced to resign for hiring/promoting Easley).  At first it was six months, then 18 months, then a whopping three years. This is for teaching one course per semester and conducting “research”–pretty good pay for teaching two classes a year and pursuing his own interests (some people call that a hobby). 

Now it’s chancellor Oblinger’s chance to sit on the hot seat (and possibly resign). After all, he’s the one who gave Nielsen the provost’s job under shady circumstances and signed off on this potentially illegal contract continuation (possibly a pay-off for what?). He possibly lied about the duration of Nielsen’s contract to the press. (University spokesman Keith Nichols apologized for “mischaracterizing” information after he said the continuation was for 18 months.)

Who knows where this story is going to travel next? This can’t be the only place in the UNC system where there is a lot of mutual back-scratching going on. Jim Hunt’s two state-funded think tanks and Gene Nichol’s soft landing at UNC’s law school have a certain air about them as well.