Salaries Continue to Rise for College Brass January 29, 2010
Paul Partridge on the continual pay raises for college presidents
This is disheartening — especially for many middle-class families trying to afford college. While courses are being cancelled and teachers are being laid off, college administrators are not only keeping their jobs but actually receiving pay raises!
According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, the median pay for college presidents rose to $436,111 in 2008-2009—a 2.3% increase from the previous year. Although this percentage is lower than other years (a typical jump is 7.5%, although the increase was an astounding 19% back in 2005), this smaller increase may not bring solace to families who’ve watched college tuition rise 10 percentage points faster than inflation.
The Chronicle did show a silver lining. “A growing number of presidents” are giving money back to their institutions in a variety of different ways.
Mr. E. Gordon Gee, the President of Ohio State University who topped the 2009 rankings of public universities with an annual paycheck of $1.6 million, donated $320,850 from his university bonus to establish a scholarship fund and also paid the college tuition for a student who was majoring in music.
Other leaders including Sally K. Mason of the University of Iowa and Gregory L. Geoffrey of Iowa State have decided to reject all bonuses or salary raises in order to give back to the school.
University of Washington president Mark Emmert was listed second in the survey, with over $900,000 in total compensation last year. Patrick Harker, president of the University of Delaware, was the third highest paid executive, with over $810,000 in total income.
Ohio State’s Gee is the only public university president to top more than $1 million last year. Meanwhile, at private colleges and universities, 23 presidents took home more than $1 million in 2008, the most recent year surveyed.
Eduardo Padrón, president of Miami Dade College, was listed as the highest paid administrator among the community colleges canvassed. Padrón’s pay package totaled nearly $550,000 in 2008. Next on the list was Michael McCall, president of the Kentucky Community College and Technical College System, at roughly $532,000 in take-home pay.
