FOIA Doesn’t Show Broyles Board Status

Whispers junkies may remember an item from May involving a Freedom of Information request the Business Journal made to the University of Arkansas’ Office of the General Counsel for a comprehensive list of university personnel who currently serve — or have served in the last five years — as a board member to any financial institution.

The General Counsel said it would notify any UA employee on the list about the FOI and give them the opportunity to “seek an opinion from the Attorney General or a court” as permitted by Arkansas law.

The Business Journal was never notified that any employee had any gripes about the request.

The office supplied copies of the “Annual Report on Outside Employment of Faculty/Administrative Staff Members for Compensation.” The only name listed was Doyle Z. Williams, former Dean of the Walton College of Business who has served as a board member to Arvest Bank-Fayetteville since July 1, 2000.

We pointed out in May that we happened to know UA athletic director Frank Broyles serves as a board member for Priority Bank of Ozark. At the time, we weren’t sure if Broyles was compensated for being a board member or not. Since, we’ve learned that Broyles is paid a stipend for his time, as is customary.

As of press time, the General Counsel couldn’t be reached to check the details, but as a state employee, we’re pretty sure Broyles is supposed to report his extra income to the UA. We’re just not sure if the additional paperwork slipped his mind, or if he objected to us knowing about it.