The massive pay increase and contract extension that University of Connecticut President Susan Herbst received is not so bothersome, but the process leading to it certainly is.

On Monday, the Board of Trustees voted to extend President Herbst's contract through 2019, her compensation that year reaching $831,070. To reach that pay grade, the UConn president will receive 5 percent annual raises, $40,000 in annual performance bonuses, and $200,000 retention bonuses in 2016 and 2019.

President Herbst's salary was set at $520,000 when she was hired back in 2011.

That is a lot of money and quite a pay raise, but not out of balance with compensation awarded to other presidents at major state universities. Her salary remains well behind that of the football and basketball coaches.

The trustees were apparently happy with the president's push to hire additional faculty, her efforts to increase enrollment and course offerings in the science, technology and engineering fields, and the deal reached with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the legislature to invest $1.5 billion in the university over 10 years under the Next Generation Connecticut initiative.

While she has had missteps - most conspicuously her cavalier statements responding to a group of current and former female students who complained that the university did a poor job of handling their claims of sexual assault - President Herbst has kept the alumni happy and the donations from boosters are flowing to the UConn Foundation.

So why was there such a lack of transparency in awarding the contract extension and raise? There was no rush, her current contract continues to June 2016.

Monday's "special meeting" was announced Friday, with no indication President Herbst's contract was the topic. The trustees held the meeting by phone. It took place during the winter break.

This meant there was no opportunity for students or faculty to weigh in with their opinions about the job they think their president is doing. Claire Price, president of UConn's student government, told The Connecticut Mirror that many have concerns President Herbst does not interact enough with students.

No one could review or comment on the university president's job evaluations. They are exempt from the Freedom of Information law. It is a bad exemption. The president of a public university should not be immune from scrutiny of her performance.

The UConn Foundation will pay $300,000 of the annual compensation, but the foundation is also exempt from FOI law, so the public is in the dark about who may seek influence through their donations.

Therefore, while we congratulate President Herbst on her new deal, the process leading to it cries out for major legislative reforms.