Amid a series of major changes within UF’s administration, a top legal adviser for the university has resigned.
After 10 weeks of administrative leave — because of an internal investigation regarding her role as UF’s top legal adviser — Jamie Lewis Keith officially resigned May 31.
Keith will receive a severance package of about $174,000 and will also be entitled to up to $50,000 in attorney’s fees, UF spokesperson Margot Winick wrote in an email.
On March 22, Keith took leave from her position, which she held since 2006, to avoid appearance of a conflict during the investigation. Keith will remain on leave through June 28, her last day of employment with UF, according to Alligator archives.
The Office of Internal Audit began an internal investigation into Keith on Feb. 28 after receiving a complaint from Gainesville-area lawyer Huntley Johnson, according to Alligator archives. Johnson accused Keith of being unfit to run the Office of the General Counsel, which provides legal representation for UF.
“The internal investigation involving Keith is ongoing and is expected to be completed in a few weeks,” Winick said.
Keith’s resignation came less than 24 hours after the resignation of another top UF official, Associate Vice President and Dean of Students Jen Day Shaw.
Day Shaw resigned Tuesday after UF decided not to renew her appointment. The decision came after the university learned that Day Shaw provided a positive reference for Chris Loschiavo, a former UF Title IX coordinator who was fired in August for using his work computer to purchase pornography.
Loschiavo’s case is one amid a series of firings and resignations within UF’s Student Affairs, which Day Shaw oversaw as dean of students since 2010.
In September, Lloren Foster was removed as executive director of Multicultural and Diversity Affairs — a program operated under Student Affairs and Dean of Student’s Office — for reasons including lack of leadership, failure to meet deadlines and asking a colleague if they were having sex, according to Alligator archives.
In February, three other MCDA directors announced their resignations within an 11-day span.
UF spokesperson Janine Sikes said the recent resignations and shift within Student Affairs is not unusual.
“There are issues that may come up, but there are constantly these kinds of leadership and management changes happening all over the University of Florida,” Sikes said. “It’s a $5.5 billion organization. It is incredibly complex, and we have more than 15,000 employees.”
Keith and Day Shaw’s resignations have nothing to do with the changes within MCDA, Sikes said.
“Support for students has never wavered,” she said. “It always will remain our highest priority.”
Contact David Hoffman at dhoffman@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter: @hoffdavid123.
