Former Douglas College President received salary until recently

Scott McAlpine paid for over a year after departure

By Mercedes Deutscher, News Editor

A report made by the New Westminster Record revealed that Scott McAlpine, the former president and CEO of Douglas College, was still being paid the president’s salary until October 16, receiving $135,128 in income from the college in the 2014/15 fiscal year.

McAlpine suddenly left his position in June 2014 after five years as president, listing the desire to “pursue other opportunities” as the reason for his departure. When asked by the New Westminster Record last year if McAlpine had been fired, Davie Robert Taylor, Director of College Marketing and Communications, denied the speculation.

At the time, Taylor told the New Westminster Record: “He was here for about five years, during which time the college grew and has changed quite a bit, and he has made significant contributions to the college over those five years, and the board and certainly the college community wish him well.” He added that McAlpine’s departure was surprising. After McAlpine ended his presidency, he was requested to return his keys and had his remaining belongings returned to him.

Not only was Taylor unclear about the nature of McAlpine’s departure, but recently Douglas College Board Chair Shelley Williams declined to comment to the New Westminster Record about McAlpine after the discovery of his salary continuing for over a year after he stopped working for the college.

Since his departure from the college, McAlpine has continually received the $14,000 per month salary that he received prior to ending his employment with the college. The 2014 Douglas College Executive Compensation Report listed that McAlpine would continue receiving the salary until October 16, according to the contract he was on. McAlpine also continued to receive all benefits, and was offered six months of services from Homewood Human Solutions, which provides mental health and addictions counselling to Douglas College. It is unknown if McAlpine utilized any of these services.

Certain terms of McAlpine’s contract required him to try and find new work in order to continue receiving the salary, and that once new work was found, the salary would be terminated. Any shortcomings in a new salary would have been topped up by the Douglas salary. McAlpine was offered up to 12 months of services that would have helped him make a career transition. According to McAlpine’s LinkedIn profile, the search for new work has been unsuccessful. McAlpine has worked in post-secondary for 30 years, most of which was spent at Grande Prairie Regional College, where he was an instructor, chair member, and Dean of Arts, Sciences, and Education.