David Petraeus swaps $200,000 New York university salary for $1 following uproar

Former CIA Director David Petraeus will be earning one-dollar-a-year for visiting the City University of New York as a guest lecturer.

Petraeus took the decision for a major cut in his pay, after facing a firestorm of criticism for taking a 150,000 dollars salary for teaching just three hours a week at CUNY.

His lawyer, Robert Barnett, said that the general never was taking on this teaching assignment for the money

Barnett added that once controversy arose about the amount he was being paid, he decided it was much more important to keep the focus on the students, on the school and on the teaching, and not have it be about the money.

According to the New York Post, a school official said that Petraeus proposed waiving his salary because he wanted it to be seen as public service.

CUNY announced in April that it had hired him to lead a seminar on US standing in global affairs.

Petraeus is set to lead a seminar on "Are We on the Threshold of the North American Decade."

Petraeus' career as the director general of the CIA was ensnared for his extra-marital affair with Paula Broadwell.