RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) – Philosopher and revolutionist Karl Marx touted sharing the wealth in class-divided Europe. So what would he think about $245,000 a year to teach one class on the Russian revolution?

That’s what Washington State University is paying Steven Hoch. He was briefly hired as the school’s provost, but the arrangement fell apart after a hallway altercation with a colleague. A twist in Hoch’s contract turned him into an extremely expensive part-time history professor.

The incident left some questioning the university’s hiring practices, while faculty members praise the addition of a respected scholar – despite the irony of the subject matter – for a department they say is short-staffed.

Hoch, 57, is a well-regarded historian who has written books and articles on Russian history and socioeconomics.

Hoch was less than two months into the job as provost when he took a personal leave Sept. 23 following an altercation at a staff meeting, which ended in a shoving incident with another administrator.

Hoch and WSU President Elson Floyd agreed he should not remain as provost, effective Oct. 31. But his contract allows him to continue as a tenured faculty member at an annual salary of $245,000, roughly 80 percent of his original salary.

The average salary for WSU full professors of history was $74,770 last fall. Nationally, the average salary for full professors at large public universities was $109,569 in the 2007-08 school year, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

University administrators assigned Hoch to the WSU branch campus in Richland, where one of two history professors and the university’s lone Russian specialist are on sabbatical. At the time, they said Hoch would assist with expanding course offerings at the branch campus that recently began offering four-year degrees.

Whether Hoch will remain in the Tri-Cities or is reassigned to another campus beyond this semester remains to be seen. He is teaching History 469, a seminar required of all history majors to graduate. The subject matter is determined by the professor.

Hoch also will be advising some students and is expected to eventually assume a full course load.

While it’s true that Hoch will be making far more than any other history professor, Kale said, the focus should be on his credentials and not his salary.

“He has a Ph.D. from Princeton, and he is a quite accomplished Russian historian, even though he has not been active for a time because he’s been an administrator,” Kale said.

Before coming to WSU, Hoch served as dean of the University of Kentucky’s School of Arts and Sciences. He declined to be interviewed for this story.

Retired Richland teacher Laurel Piippo signed up to become a citizen lobbyist in Olympia this session to demand that lawmakers hold the school’s president accountable for the situation.

“I’m not just going to let it sit there and die,” Piippo told the Tri-City Herald. “I want this guy on the hot seat.”

Hoch’s students, though, are generally unfazed by the situation. Students said they were happy with their new professor’s knowledge and experience, though one said he planned to drop the class because Hoch’s Boston accent drove him nuts.