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                                                                    EXHIBIT 10.1

                                IRREVOCABLE PROXY

              THIS IRREVOCABLE PROXY is entered into as of the 16th day of
March, 2001, by and among Ron K. Bailey individually and in any Representative
Capacity ("RKB"), and Beverly W. Bailey individually and in any Representative
Capacity ("BWB" and together with RKB, "the Stockholders", and each, a
"Stockholder"), and New Mountain Partners, L.P. and DB Capital Investors, L.P.
(the "Purchasers"). For purposes of this Agreement, "Representative Capacity"
means as a proxy, an executor or administrator of any estate, a trustee of any
trust or in any other fiduciary or representative capacity (other than as
trustee or administrator of any employee benefit plan) if such Person, in such
capacity, directly or indirectly possesses the power to vote or dispose or
direct the voting of any Shares (as defined herein).

              WHEREAS, pursuant to that certain Preferred Stock Purchase
Agreement, dated November 28, 2000 (as amended or supplemented from time to
time, the "Purchase Agreement"; capitalized terms used without definition herein
having the meanings ascribed thereto in the Purchase Agreement), by and among
Strayer Education, Inc. (the "Company") and the Purchasers, the Company agreed
to sell and the Purchasers agreed to purchase a total of 5,769,231 shares of
Series A Preferred Stock, pursuant to the terms and subject to the conditions
thereof;

              WHEREAS, as of the date hereof, the Stockholders own and have the
power to vote 8,175,000 shares of common stock, par value $.01, of the Company
(the "Shares"), or approximately 53.4% of the issued and outstanding shares of
common stock, par value $.01 of the Company ("Common Stock");

              WHEREAS, the Purchase Agreement contemplates that the Company will
use the proceeds from the sale of the Series A Preferred Stock, along with
available cash on hand, to effect a tender offer for up to 8,500,000 shares of
the Company's outstanding shares of Common Stock (the "Offer"); and

              WHEREAS, as a condition to the execution by the Purchasers of the
Purchase Agreement, the Purchasers required the Stockholders to enter into a
Support and Option Agreement, pursuant to which the Stockholders agreed, among
other things, to vote the Shares (or cause them to be voted) for approval of the
Contemplated Transactions and against Acquisition Proposals, and to execute an
irrevocable proxy pursuant to which, from and after the Escrow Date until
consummation of the Offer, the Purchasers shall have all of the rights and
powers with respect to the Shares, subject to certain conditions, to attend in
person or by proxy meetings of the stockholders of the Company, and to vote the
Shares (or cause the Shares to be voted) on any and all matters in the
Purchasers' sole discretion.

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              NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and the
representations, warranties, covenants and agreements set forth herein, the
receipt and adequacy of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto agree
as follows:

              1.     Each of the Stockholders hereby constitutes and appoints
the Purchasers as the Stockholder's true and lawful proxy and attorney-in-fact,
with full power of substitution, to vote all of the Shares owned, directly or
indirectly, by the Stockholder (and any and all securities issued or issuable in
respect thereof) which the Stockholder is entitled to vote, for and in the name,
place and stead of the Stockholder, at any annual, special or other meeting of
the stockholders of the Company, and at any adjournment or adjournments thereof,
or pursuant to any consent in lieu of a meeting or otherwise. All power and
authority hereby conferred is coupled with an interest and is irrevocable. In
the event that the Purchasers are unable to exercise such power and authority
for any reason, each of the Stockholders agrees to vote all the Shares owned by
the Stockholder in accordance with the Purchasers' instructions at any such
meeting or adjournment thereof, or provide his or her written consent thereto.

              2.     Each of the Stockholders hereby covenants and agrees that
until this Proxy is terminated in accordance with the terms of Section 6 hereof,
he or she will not, and will not agree to, directly or indirectly, grant any
proxy or interest in or with respect to his or her Shares or deposit his or her
Shares into a voting trust or enter into a voting agreement or arrangement with
respect to his or her Shares.

              3.     The Stockholders represent and warrant to the Purchasers
that the Stockholders own beneficially and of record an aggregate of 8,175,000
shares of Common Stock on the date hereof; such Shares are all of the securities
of the Company owned of record or beneficially by the Stockholders on the date
hereof; the Stockholders own the Shares free and clear of all liens, charges,
claims, encumbrances and security interests of any nature whatsoever; and except
as provided herein, the Stockholders have not granted any proxy with respect to
the Shares, deposited the Shares into a voting trust or entered into any voting
agreement or other arrangement with respect to the Shares. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, the Stockholders are permitted to tender, upon the request of the
Purchasers, pursuant to and in accordance with the terms of the Purchase
Agreement, an aggregate of 7,175,000 Shares in the Offer.

              4.     The Stockholders acknowledge that some of the Shares are
indirectly owned by the Stockholders through the Bailey Family Foundation. The
Stockholders agree that nothing contained herein shall limit or otherwise affect
the representations and warranties of the Stockholders under this Agreement.

              5.     This Proxy shall be binding upon, inure to the benefit of,
and be enforceable by the successors and permitted assigns of the parties
hereto.

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This Proxy and the rights and obligations hereunder may not be assigned by the
Stockholders without the prior written consent of Purchasers.

              6.     This Proxy shall remain in effect from the date hereof
until the first to occur of (a) the date of termination of the Purchase
Agreement, or (b) the Closing.

              7.     Each of the Stockholders acknowledges that this Proxy is
coupled with an interest sufficient in law to support an irrevocable power and
shall not be terminated by any act of the Stockholder, by lack of appropriate
power or authority or by the occurrence of any other event or events.

              8.     The parties acknowledge and agree that performance of their
respective obligations hereunder will confer a unique benefit on the other and
that a failure of performance will not be compensable by money damages. The
parties therefore agree that this Proxy shall be specifically enforceable and
that specific enforcement and injunctive relief shall be available to the
Purchasers and the Stockholders for any breach of any agreement, covenant or
representation hereunder. This Proxy shall revoke all prior proxies given by the
Stockholders at any time with respect to any of the Shares.

              9.     The Stockholders hereby release the Purchasers from any and
all claims based on the manner in which the Purchasers exercise their right to
vote the Shares pursuant to this Proxy.

              10.    The Stockholders will, upon request, execute and deliver
any additional documents and take such actions as may reasonably be deemed by
the Purchasers to be necessary or desirable to complete the Proxy granted herein
or to carry out the provisions hereof.

              11.    If any term, provision, covenant, or restriction of this
Proxy is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, void or
unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and
restrictions of this Proxy shall remain in full force and effect and shall not
in any way be affected, impaired or invalidated.

              12.    This Proxy shall be governed by and construed in accordance
with the laws of the State of Maryland, without giving effect to the provisions
thereof relating to conflicts of law.

              13.    This Proxy may be executed in two counterparts, each of
which shall be deemed to be an original but both of which together shall
constitute one and the same document.

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              IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Proxy to
be duly executed on the date first above written.

                                    NEW MOUNTAIN PARTNERS, L.P.

                                    By: New Mountain Investments, L.P., its
                                        general partner

                                          By:  New Mountain GP, LLC, its
                                               general partner

                                               By: /s/ STEVEN B. KLINSKY
                                                  ------------------------------
                                               Name:  Steven B. Klinsky
                                               Title:  Member

                                    DB CAPITAL INVESTORS, L.P.

                                    By: DB Capital Partners, L.P., its general
                                        partner

                                          By:  DB Capital Partners, Inc., its
                                               general partner

                                               By:  /s/ STEVEN K. DOLLINGER
                                                  ------------------------------
                                               Name:  Steven K. Dollinger
                                               Title:  Director

                                    STOCKHOLDERS

                                    /s/ RON K. BAILEY
                                    --------------------------------------------
                                    Ron K. Bailey

                                    /s/ BEVERLY W. BAILEY
                                    --------------------------------------------
                                    Beverly W. Bailey

                                       4<PAGE>   1
                                                                   EXHIBIT 10.16

                        CONTINGENT STOCK GRANT AGREEMENT

December 6, 1999

[Director's Name]
[Address]

Re: Grant of Restricted Stock

Dear [Mr.                 ]:

Remington Oil and Gas Corporation (the "Company"), as part of its effort to
benefit the Company and its stockholders by providing its directors with
long-term stock-price dependent incentives, is pleased to make an award to you
of shares of the Company's common stock. This award of restricted stock is being
made to you in accordance with and subject to the terms of this Contingent Stock
Grant Agreement (the "Agreement").

1.   Number of Shares. The number of shares of restricted common stock of the
     Company you are awarded under this Agreement is [number of shares] (the
     "Award"). The Award is an amount equal to a base of $100,000 divided by the
     closing price of the Company's common stock on June 17, 1999.

2.   Triggering the Award. In order for the Award to become effective, the
     closing price of the Company's common stock, as indicated on the applicable
     exchange or trading system, must exceed $10.42 per share for 20 consecutive
     trading days prior to June 17, 2004 (the "Trigger Point"). If the Trigger
     Point is not achieved on or before June 17, 2004, the Award will not be
     effective and shall be null and void.

3.   Vesting of the Award. (a) Except as set forth in Paragraph 3(b) below, on a
     cumulative basis fifty percent of the Award shall vest on June 17, 2002,
     seventy-five percent of the Award will vest on June 17, 2003, and one
     hundred percent of the Award will vest on June 17, 2004. Except, under the
     circumstances discussed in Paragraph 3(b) below, even though the Award may
     become fully vested, the Trigger Point must be achieved for the Award to be
     effective. (b) For purposes of this Agreement, the term "Change in Control"
     shall have the meaning ascribed to it in the Company's 1997 Stock Option
     Plan, as may be amended from time to time (the "Plan"), herein included as
     Attachment I. In the event of a Change in Control, the Award shall become
     fully vested as of the date of the Change in Control. If the Change in
     Control occurs on the basis of circumstances described by Paragraphs 9(i),
     (iii), or (iv) of the Plan, the Award will trigger as of the date of the
     Change in Control. If the Change in Control is due to circumstances set
     forth in Paragraph 9(ii) of the Plan, the triggering of the Award, if any,
     will be governed by Paragraph 2 of this Agreement.

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December 6, 1999
Page 2

4.   Award is of Restricted Stock. The shares of the Company's common stock
     subject to the Award are restricted securities under the rules and
     regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. On this basis,
     certificates representing the Award shares shall bear a restrictive legend
     prohibiting any disposition of the shares except in accordance with such
     rules and regulations.

5.   Continued Service as Board Member Required. In order for the Award to
     become effective, or for you to be vested in the Award, the Company or an
     affiliate of the Company must continuously maintain you as a board member
     through the Trigger Point. Any termination or interruption of your board
     membership with the Company or its affiliates, regardless of the reason,
     prior to the Trigger Point will cause the Award to be null and void.

6.   Future Board Membership not Guaranteed. Neither this Agreement nor the
     Award represents a representation or guarantee of continued board
     membership with the Company.

7.   Taxes Responsibility of Board Member. You are responsible for any tax
     consequences of the Award. However, if required by any applicable law, the
     Company shall withhold stock equal to an amount necessary to satisfy tax
     withholding requirements.

8.   Modification of Agreement. No provision of this Agreement may be modified,
     waived, or discharged unless such modification, waiver, or discharge is
     agreed to in writing and signed by the Company and you.

9.   GOVERNING LAW. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED AND
     ENFORCED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF TEXAS WITHOUT GIVING
     EFFECT TO THE CONFLICT OF LAW PRINCIPLES THEREOF.

10.  Severability. The provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed severable
     and the invalidity or unenforceability of any provision shall not affect
     the validity or enforceability of the other provisions hereof.

11.  Entire Agreement. This Agreement represents the entire agreement between
     the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes any
     and all prior agreements and understandings with respect to such subject
     matter.

Please evidence your approval and acceptance of the terms and conditions of the
Award by signing where indicated below.

                                   Sincerely,

                                   REMINGTON OIL AND GAS CORPORATION

                                   By:
                                      -----------------------------------------
                                      James A. Watt, President
Agreed and accepted:

---------------------------------
         [Name]

Date:
     ----------------------------

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