Concordia professor sues closed college for $765,000 in severance

A former Concordia College business professor and administrator has sued the now-closed Bronxville school for $765,000 in severance payments.

William M. Salva accused Concordia of breach of contract in a complaint filed Sept. 29 in Westchester Supreme Court, for denying him severance when his employment ended on April 30.

The heart of the tussle is whether Salva voluntarily resigned or was fired.

He began his career at Concordia in 2005 as an associate professor of business and dean of adult education.

In 2015, he was promoted to a continuing appointment, Concordia’s version of tenure, which meant that he had a rolling 5-year contract that renewed every July.

The college had to give a 12-month notice to terminate the contract, according to the complaint, and then the professor would be entitled to severance based on whatever time remained on his contract.

In 2018, Concordia issued a termination notice, effective June 30, 2019. On his last day of employment, the complaint states, Salva would have received severance equal to four years of salary and benefits.

But even as Salva was packing up his office to leave, a college official notified him that Concordia “had had a change of heart and wanted his employment to continue,” the complaint states.

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education had put Concordia on probation, and the college had about two years to get reaccredited.

Salva’s 2019 termination was rescinded, according to the complaint, and Salva was to continue teaching. He was given an administrative position for evaluating departmental efficiencies.

The new job was to end in June 2020, but in January 2020 he was given a six-month appointment as interim provost, the chief academic officer.

When the new provost was appointed, according to the complaint, Salva was appointed associate vice president for academic affairs, dean of the adult education program and professor of business.

Last December, Concordia put him on notice that his position would end on April 30.

On May 11, Iona College in New Rochelle, announced that it had bought the Concordia campus to use as a school for health sciences.

When Salva asked about compensation, a college official responded, “You were not involuntarily terminated; your contract ended April 30, 2021. Accordingly, you do not qualify for the separation pay.”

Last June, he was named professor emeritus on a continuous appointment basis, an honorary position that comes with no compensation.

Salva argues that by not implementing the original 2019 termination date, appointing him to administrative positions, continuing his status as a professor of business and awarding him emeritus status, Concordia acknowledged that he was eligible for severance payments.

Salva calculates that he is entitled to $765,000: a base salary of $135,000 for five years and two months, plus a separation payment of $67,500 for 16 years of service.

Concordia was part of the The Lutheran Church ”” Missouri Synod eight campus university system, but spokesman David L. Strand said the synod did not own or operate the college, “and thus we cannot comment on pending litigation on its behalf.”

Salva is represented by Scarsdale attorney Robert B. Bernstein.