Emory University President James Wagner ranked 27th among the nation’s highest-paid leaders of nonprofit private colleges in a recently released report compiled by the Chronicle for Higher Education.
And he’s worth every penny, according to the school’s board of trustees.
“Emory University has one of the top university presidents in the country in Jim Wagner,” board chairman John Morgan said in a statement Tuesday. “The board of trustees has been inspired by his decade of vision and leadership.”
The Chronicle reported Wagner’s total compensation at $1.2 million, including base pay of more than $870,000.
The report is based on 2011 figures, and includes the compensation received by chief executives at 500 private nonprofit colleges in the country. The data was taken from IRS 990 forms, which are filed by most nonprofit entities.
Topping the Chronicle’s list was Robert Zimmer, president of the University of Chicago, whose total compensation was more than $3.3 million, including base pay of almost $918,000.
Wagner was tops among the 13 Georgia presidents on the list. He was followed by Brenau University President Edward Schrader Jr. ($539,000 total compensation) and Berry College President Stephen Briggs ($506,000).
Wagner placed 22nd on last year’s list, which was based on 2010 data. His base pay increased by more than $18,000 between 2010 and 2011, according to the Chronicle database. That pushed his total compensation more than $28,000 higher over the same period.
Wagner came to Emory in 2003. Before that he served as interim president, provost and dean at Case Western Reserve University and a professor at Johns Hopkins University.
His tenure at Emory has been mixed over the past year.
The school received the 2013 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity award and was again ranked 20th among the nation’s top universities by U.S. News and World Report. At the same time, Wagner has come under fire from faculty who have questioned his communication style and leadership decisions. He was criticised for cuts to the College of Arts and Sciences and for his comments in a column that included what some viewed as an inappropriate slavery reference.
In addition to his Emory duties, Wagner serves as vice-chairman of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. In the past year he was also named a charter fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.
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