Joshua Riedy is no longer employed as UND's vice provost and chief strategy officer.

Riedy was terminated without cause June 29, according to a notice of termination signed by Interim President Ed Schafer.

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State Board of Higher Education policy requires six months written notice for an employee who is at least in their second year of employment. Since Riedy was not given that notice, the university will pay him a lump sum of $130,291.76, which includes unused paid leave.

"This action is taken without cause and does not reflect on your many years of service to the University of North Dakota," Schafer wrote in a termination letter to Riedy. "I wish you well in your future endeavors."

Riedy told the Herald Thursday his dismissal was a "business decision." His job was considered an "at-will appointment," meaning he served at the leisure of the president, he said.

This was part of a decision-making process leading up to the end of Schafer's administration and the beginning of Mark Kennedy's tenure, Riedy said. Kennedy replaces Schafer as UND's president Friday.

"It's not something that's unheard of in higher education," Riedy said. "It's unfortunate, but I enjoyed my time at the University of North Dakota, and I had a number of positive experiences."

Riedy was hired by the academic affairs office in July 2013 as the university's first vice provost and chief strategy officer. In that role, Riedy was responsible for "implementing institutional use of strategic intelligence, functions as the university's chief information officer, and provides leadership and management to units within the academic affairs unit with a focus on leading and facilitating technology programs in support of the teaching and research mission of the university centering on academic, administrative, research and infrastructure technologies," according to UND's website.

Peter Johnson, the interim vice president for university and public affairs, said he did not know whether the university will rehire for the position.

Riedy said he is looking forward to his next opportunity and said he hopes to stay in Grand Forks and work in the area of big data, especially in the unmanned aircraft systems industry.

"I'm thankful for the experiences at the university, and it's positioned me really well for other opportunities outside the university," he said. "I look forward to that next chapter."

Previously, Riedy worked as UND's chief information officer before he was transitioned into an North Dakota University System position in 2012, but he continued to serve as the CIO for the school.

He was caught up in controversy surrounding former NDUS Chancellor Hamid Shirvani. In April 2013, state lawmakers asked him to testify on whether he was involved in efforts to oust the chancellor, according to Herald archives.

He then was scheduled to become vice chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but less than a month before he was to start that job, he was hired by UND as the school's vice provost and chief strategy officer.

As of August 2014, Riedy's yearly salary was $237,405.