2007. He has been criticized for reducing funding to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences by both faculty and other administrators. However, in December 2008, Machen announced that he would give his yearly bonus of $285,000 back to the University of Florida with the stipulation that the money had to be used to help fund the Florida Opportunity Scholars Program. When Machen was hired by the University of Florida in 2003, his contract stated he would be eligible, after five years, to receive either a one-year sabbatical (paid leave) or receive the $450,000 bonus in addition to his annual salary. In January 2009, Machen chose to take $400,000 in four annual installments, but after receiving the first $100,000 installment in 2009, it was realized that the four-year payment plan would require Machen to pay federal income taxes on all four installments at the time of the first installment payment. In March 2010, the Board of Trustees voted to pay the remaining three installments in a single lump sum so that Machen might avoid further negative tax consequences. With the addition of the $300,000 lump-sum payment to his base salary and annual performance bonus, Machen's total compensation was approximately $1,050,000 in 2010. Machen's contract ended in 2013. Controversy Machen stirred a mild controversy by making a veiled innuendo regarding the University of Michigan's academics as they relate to student-athletes and implying that Ohio State University basketball star Greg Oden's academic schedule is a joke. U.S. News rankings controversy On June 17, 2009, it was reported that Bernie Machen had rated the University of Florida above schools such as Duke University and the University of Pennsylvania on the annual U.S. News & World Report college rankings survey. Machen rated the University of Florida as "distinguished," while rating all other Florida state universities at least two tiers below the University of Florida. These actions were questioned by several Florida media outlets, including the St. Petersburg Times. Politics Machen stands against the boycotting of Israeli universities. He condemned the proposed boycott in a letter that ran as a full-page advertisement in the August 8, 2007 edition of The New York Times. He helped write the letter in opposition to a recent vote by Britain's leading faculty union, which decided to debate the possibility of boycotting Israeli academic institutions. If passed by Britain's University and College Union, the boycott would cut off relations with