Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear publicly questioned decision-making at the University of Kentucky ahead of a Board of Trustees meeting scheduled for this week. His statement pointed to a new $1 million role created for retiring athletic director Mitch Barnhart and the appointment of a new dean of the law school.

University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto named Barnhart Executive in Residence for the UK Sport and Workforce Initiative. The contract will pay Barnhart $1 million per year beginning July 1 and does not provide a concrete job description. Barnhart will step down as athletic director on June 30.

"I am losing confidence and growing increasingly concerned with the management and decision-making at the University of Kentucky. My concerns include the creation of a new $1 million job that has no defined duties and the announcement that the new dean of law was the only candidate not recommended by law school faculty," Beshear said.

The governor also addressed the process for approving the law school appointment. He said he had been told the university changed its position on whether the dean's appointment requires Board of Trustees approval. He also called on members of the campus community to attend the board meetings.

"I've been told that despite previously saying the dean must be approved by UK's Board of Trustees, the university has shifted and now states approval is not needed. I worry that these actions are related to certain donors pushing partisan and undue outside influence onto the university. I hope students, faculty, trustees and the community attend this week's board meetings and ask the tough questions that should be answered," he said.