How much does your school’s president earn?
November 13, 2009 by Geneva ReidPosted in: Campus News, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views
Can you guess how many university presidents earned seven figures last year?
The answer is 23, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education annual executive compensation survey.
Here are some highlights: (Click here to check out the complete survey)
- Shirley Ann Jackson, president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, earned the most of any executive at a private university with a salary totaling $1,598,247
- The second-highest paid president was David J. Sargent of Boston’s Suffolk University, earning $1,496,593
- 110 private college presidents each brought in more than $500,000
- The median pay for presidents at private research universities came to $627,750
- At the 419 private colleges in the survey, the median pay was $358,746
- Salaries were lower for presidents of small liberal arts colleges. John A. Fry, president of Franklin & Marshall College, was the only exec in this category to make more than $1 million.
Are college presidents overpaid? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
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November 11th, 2009 at 10:46 am
ABSOLUTELY! their partof the reason they school desnt have enough grants to go to underpriviledged students.
November 11th, 2009 at 11:51 am
Our Prez makes barely half as much as our basketball coach. Now there’s someone whose salary could become grants for lots of underprivileged students! … except that the money would shortly disappear with the demise of the basketball program. I have one digit less in my salary, but it could go to grants for underprivileged students, too, except our network security might suffer and end up costing the university _more_ money or end up compromising the personal identifying information of our underprivileged students and everybody else.
November 11th, 2009 at 11:53 am
Yes, overpaid. Imagine a world where everyone had enough to live a dignified life. If we could all just accept enough for our work, our world would be a safer more peaceful place to live. There is nothing I am or I can do that gives me more worth than any other human being. I am always saddened by greed and entitlement and these salaries are just one more example. I would love to see a Michael Moore movie on academe and our colleges and universities.
November 11th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
If underprivileged students like Bee, above, could learn to spell (or at least spell-check before submitting a statement), I’d have some respect for his or her point of view, limited and uninformed though it is. There is no correlation between grants for underprivileged or other students and the salaries of university presidents.
November 11th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Since presidents of Universities are the leaders of a major organization why don’t you give a comparison of their pay to generals or admirals in the military. After all they lead large organizations, carry out UCMJ issues, responsible for peoples lives, and millions of $ in assets. I think it would be a good analysis.
November 11th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Presidents normally sit around and tell people what to do based upon what other people tell the president what he or she ought to do. That is, when they are not reading stupid management books anyone with half a brain would be embarrassed to show in public, unless you are one of those people the president ordered to have the book read with him or her as part of some committee to justify why a stupid book should be read.
So anyone with that much power that makes people believe and do anything he or she does, sure, give them as much as they want, the people get what they deserve or what ever is left.
November 11th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
I believe these earnings are understated. I work for a for-profit private institution, and there are stock options and restricted stock units (RSUs) routinely awarded to presidents of for-profit institutions that greatly enhance the amounts reported above.
I’m also a graduate of F+M (one of the institutions cited above in which the president earned over $1 million). F+M is a model of fiscal and management responsibility: excellent endowment, highly-qualified faculty and staff, and a true commitment to all of its constituents. I’m envious of the president’s salary, but I don’t begrudge him his earnings. He can objectively show excellent quantitative and qualitative outcomes.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
No body is worth 1.5 mil a year to lead a school, any school. Our high school superintendent makes $325,000! To lead one school of 3000 kids, no less.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
As a Professor Emeritus, I think our President is out of line. The President would NOT take a pay cut. The President imposed pay cuts, laid off many people and imposed a hiring freeze-even though the 2009 entering class is at a record high.
November 11th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Wow. Bee !!!!!!!!!!! Socialism is here folks.
November 12th, 2009 at 9:59 am
Of course not. What is wrong with someone being compensated for his/her abilities? the underprivileged in the USA are “underprivileged” becasuse it is their choice. I came to this country with nothing and now have a great job, making good money compensating according to my abilities. I do not think anyone is over paid. What I see is a bunch of mediocre people wanting handouts.
November 12th, 2009 at 11:21 am
@ Chip: Define socialism.
@Jay: Is the sky the limit, then?
November 13th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
I don’t have any problems with how much college presidents get paid. I do have a problem with what they do for the money. A president who involves and listens to the faculty, the staff, the students, and the management; who establishes clear, fair, and equitable lines of reporting and communication; who is able to establish a healthy, balanced financial footing; who works FOR the college, and for the good of the college and the students; rather than AT the college and for the purpose of self aggrandizement and personal resume-building, now THAT president is worth every penny. Anybody got one like that?
November 18th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
The data were for private colleges and universities…what about the public institutions?
November 18th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
The problem is not only how much they make vs what they do. The greatest problem is when they stand in front of all the employees of the School in a Town Hall meeting and they proclaim that we are undergoing tough times, that the salaries are frozen (and have been frozen) for 5 years now, except, of course, their own and those of the big wigs. Not to mention the “compensations” for the numerous coming and going Presidents and Deans that retire, are fired or resign mid way their appointments but the School has to “honor” their contracts to the end or keep providing honorary salaries after their retirement.