Andy Beshear upset with Mitch Barnhart’s $3.2M retirement agreement from UK
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is not satisfied with the amended retirement agreement for former UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart that will pay him approximately $3.2 million over the next three years.
“(That’s) $3 million that could otherwise go to helping students, to better paying faculty, to doing research that could cure that next disease that’s afflicting one of our people,” Beshear said Thursday. “I don’t have anything against Mitch Barnhart. Met him, know him, but this is a lot of money. I know that there’s this argument that oh, the president’s going to raise it, it’s not state funds.
“Well, that’s money the president isn’t raising for the University of Kentucky, for students, and the rest.”
Beshear took issue in April with the plan to transition Barnhart into an undefined role as executive in residence for a newly announced Workforce Initiative for a $950,000 annual salary. At the same time, he criticized UK leadership for the appointment of federal judge Gregory Van Tatenhove as the new dean of UK’s law school.
Shortly after the governor went public with that criticism, Barnhart announced he was stepping away from the role but still retiring as athletics director at the end of June.
At the time of Barnhart’s announcement, UK President Eli Capilouto announced he would fund any “compensation associated with his departure” through private funds, not university or athletics department money, but UK did not announce the terms of Barnhart’s settlement agreement until July 10, more than one week after Barnhart had officially retired.
Barnhart will now be classified as a part-time employee of the university reporting directly to the president. He will be paid a $40,000 annual salary for helping with fundraising and “any other duties as assigned” but will also receive annual severance payments of $760,000 on Jan. 1 2027, 2028 and 2029. He will receive one final payment of $780,000 on Dec. 31, 2029.
The combined $800,000 annual compensation is the same as the salary he would have received as a special assistant to the president, according to a 2023 contract amendment that granted him the option to transition to that role beginning July 1, 2026. UK replaced that portion of his contract with a new portion outlining the executive in residence job when he announced his retirement plans in March.
Barnhart’s retirement compensation is not uncommon in college sports.
Oregon State will continue to pay athletics director Scott Barnes his normal base salary and supplemental retirement amounts for one year after he transitions to a senior adviser role in September, according to the Oregonian. Oklahoma continues to pay longtime athletics director Joe Castiglione as an athletics director emeritus after his retirement earlier this year, though a salary for his new position has not been made public.
Reporter Hannah Pinski contributed to this story.
This story was originally published July 16, 2026 at 1:33 PM.