Under the settlement, Sharp and her attorney received $70,000 last month, and will receive $70,000 payments in July and July 2012. The university agreed to pay her health insurance premiums until December 2012 at an estimated cost of $11,615 and provide retiree health benefits at an estimated annual cost of $6,060 after that. In exchange, Sharp resigned effective Dec. 22, agreed to drop all three lawsuits she filed and vowed to never again apply for employment at a public university in Iowa.

"It seemed advisable to settle the case given the time and resources involved in the litigation, the settlement amount involved, and the inherent uncertainty relating to litigation," said UNI spokesman James O'Connor, who released the agreement in response to an inquiry from The Associated Press.

It is the latest bad news for Malcolm Price, a highly regarded K-12 school operated by UNI's College of Education. The school has been embroiled in negative publicity for two years after an audit found parents were using phony addresses to enroll their children for free, and 9 people were charged criminally with doing so.

Sharp, now 55, was hired in 1995 and received tenure in 2001. Her employment disputes date back until 2003, when school officials told her she would not get a teaching assignment and reassigned her to an administrative job. She took a leave of absence and taught music at a different school for a year.

The next year, she filed a grievance alleging her reassignment violated the faculty union's collective bargaining agreement. She was initially given a vague clerical job without a phone, but her grievance was sustained and she was reinstated as the music department head. This came over the objections of then-principal Dave Smith, who told the education dean in a letter that she was unprofessional, unstable and irresponsible, court records show.

Problems only intensified after her return. Sharp feuded with another instructor whom she accused of improperly using school resources to purchase a cello for her daughter. She complained that administrators did not support her department, and that plans for students to perform at the Olympics in Beijing and the Washington National Cathedral fell through as a result.

In 2006, Smith removed her as department head after a miscommunication involving a theater rental and scolded her for telling a colleague, "I'm really disappointed in you," in front of students, court records show.

Frank Thompson, president of UNI's faculty union at the time, said administrators undermined Sharp's ability to perform her job and build a case for promotion. He said the school sold a harp she used, gave away sound equipment needed for performances and made it difficult to schedule concerts. The university went back on promises to allow Sharp to teach summer school and a music theory course at a center for gifted and talented students at the University of Iowa, he said.

"They did everything they could to make life difficult for her," he said. "The settlement is a recognition that there were problems but now we've lost a good faculty member."

Sharp alleged in one lawsuit that her treatment by colleagues and administrators trying to "eliminate her" as a co-worker forced her to have a mental health breakdown in April 2007. She went on medical leave. When her sick time ran out, she eventually qualified for disability, court records show. Her annual salary was $62,000.

In another lawsuit, Sharp said she faced retaliation after providing information about unspecified wrongdoing at the school to UNI, the Board of Regents and the state auditor dating back to 2005. The lawsuit was not specific, but Thompson said the information related to the improper sale of the school's musical equipment. A third lawsuit made a series of claims, including retaliation and breach of contract.

Both sides agreed to keep the settlement confidential unless its release was required under the public records law.

"In response to any inquiries regarding this Agreement, the parties shall only state 'the matter has been resolved' or words to that effect," the document says. "Plaintiffs further agree that they will not contact any member of the media or a media organization to discuss this Agreement."

The agreement allows Sharp to continue seeking workers' compensation. She has a claim pending with Iowa Workforce Development.

Sharp did not respond to a message seeking comment, and her attorney, Judith O'Donohue, declined comment through an aide. Two defendants, Smith and former education dean William Callahan, said they were surprised to learn of the settlement details from AP.

"As an administrator, there are always difficult issues you have to work with in education," said Smith, now superintendent of schools in Spirit Lake, Iowa. "Sometimes issues like this pop up, good or bad."