Purcell higher ed contract extended for a year, raise awarded

PROVIDENCE – Jim Purcell, the commissioner for the R.I. Council on Postsecondary Education, has received an extended contract and an 8.6 percent raise, but the contract was shortened from two years to one.

Purcell, who was appointed in 2014, received a $15,000 raise from the council on Feb. 24 with the contract renewal. Previously earning $175,000 a year, he’ll earn $190,000 beginning July 1, through June 30, 2017, according to a spokesman for the council.

Council Chairman William Foulkes was unavailable for comment on why the length of the contract has been reduced.

“I appreciate the support of the council in renewing my contract as commissioner,” Purcell said in an email. “I look forward to continuing the good work we have begun to build a strong, excellent and coordinated system that meets the needs of our students, businesses and communities.”

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Purcell is the state’s higher education executive officer, coordinating the affairs of two public universities, RIC and the University of Rhode Island, as well as the Community College of Rhode Island.

Before coming to Rhode Island, he did similar work in Louisiana and Arkansas. Prior to that, he was the chief planning and research officer for higher education in Oklahoma.

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