The new president of Kentucky’s largest provider of postsecondary education will earn $380,000 annually, according to his contract, which the Lantern received Thursday through an open records request.

Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles is a former state lawmaker who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for governor this year.?

He was appointed president of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, which has 16 colleges in the commonwealth, in September.?

The KCTCS contract says Quarles will start his three-and-a-half year term on January 1, 2024. It ends on June 30, 2027. Quarles will be “evaluated annually.”?

His first 11 months as president will be a probation period, the contract says, during which he can “be terminated from
employment with or without cause.”

In addition to his salary, the contract lists several benefits. They include a life insurance policy of double his salary and a $20,000 “automobile allowance.” The board will also pay all premiums for “basic life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance coverage.”

Quarles has seven college degrees, including a doctorate in higher education administration from Vanderbilt and a master’s degree in higher education from Harvard University.?

The contract