Here’s my favorite passage in today’s News & Observer article about the UNC system’s chancellors defending their taxpayer-funded golden parachutes:

Rosemary DePaolo, in her seventh year as chancellor at UNC-Wilmington,
said the retreat rights policy, while difficult for those outside
academia to digest, is a critical piece of the compensation package for
people considering a leadership post at a public university. The jobs
are stressful, and potential chancellors want to know they’ll be taken
care of, she said.

Yes, these payoffs are “difficult for those outside academia to digest” because they make no sense. Plus, they’re easy to abuse