The top ten earners at the 236 institutions surveyed in fiscal 2015:
(Name, University, Total Compensation)
1. Renu Khator, University of Houston, $1,300,000
2. Michael Gottfredson*+,University of Oregon, $1,215,142
3. Michael Young*, Texas A&M at College Station, $1,133,333
4. William McRaven*, University of Texas system, $1,090,909
5. Mark Becker, Georgia State University, $1,051,204
6. Lou Anna Simon, Michigan State University, $850,000
7. Patrick Harker, University of Delaware, $841,187
8. Steven Leath, Iowa State University, $820,461
9. Elson Floyd (deceased)*+, Washington State University, $805,880
10. David Hopkins, Wright State University, $803,320
* - partial-year compensation
+ - no longer president at that institution
View the full compensation survey from The Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/compensation.
Total fiscal 2015 compensation for Georgia’s public college leaders:
Mark Becker, Georgia State University, $1,051,204
Bud Peterson, Georgia Tech, $676,980
Jere Morehead, University of Georgia, $552,487
Hank Huckaby, University System of Georgia chancellor, $425,000
Brooks Keel#, Georgia Southern University, $367,288
Ron Jackson*, Technical College System of Georgia commissioner, $110,367
Gretchen Corbin**, Technical College System of Georgia commissioner, $79,133
* - partial-year compensation, stepped down as commissioner January 2014
** - partial-year compensation, became commissioner January 2014
# - currently president of Augusta University
Survey methodology:
The Chronicle’s analysis includes 259 chief executives at 236 public colleges and systems, including all public doctoral universities and all state college and university systems or governing boards with a least three campuses and 50,000 students in the 2014-15 academic year.
- Total compensation includes base pay, bonus, deferred compensation paid out (during the reporting year), and severance
- Base pay includes the total base salary, including compensation for private university-related foundations
- Deferred compensation and retirement pay not paid out during the reporting year is not included in total compensation figures
When Georgia’s Board of Regents approved compensation packages of more than $1 million for two of its public college presidents last year, people noticed.
The pay increases for Bud Peterson at Georgia Tech and Mark Becker at Georgia State universities were a mix of state and university foundation funds — some paid out during the year, and some deferred — and were described by University System officials as retention incentive pay to keep the highly regarded leaders in their positions.
The pay hikes approved last May, a month after regents increased tuition at all of Georgia's public colleges, made Becker the fifth highest-compensated public college or university leader in the country in fiscal 2015, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education's annual compensation survey released Sunday.
His $1.05 million compensation — which included a $500,000 salary incentive — made him one of five public college leaders whose total compensation was more than $1 million for that year, according to The Chronicle’s report.
Of the 259 chief executives included in the survey, Renu Khator, who serves dual roles as chancellor of the University of Houston system and president of the University of Houston, was the highest-paid school leader, with a total compensation for that year of $1.3 million. Overall, the median total compensation for public-college presidents who served a full year was $431,000, which was a 4.3 percent increase over the previous fiscal year.
“One thing we saw is it can pay to come or go as a college leader,” said Dan Bauman, data reporter with The Chronicle.
Because The Chronicle’s survey does not include money to be paid out to presidents in future years, Peterson ranked lower on the list, with total compensation that year of almost $677,000. Increases in his deferred benefits, approved by Regents last May, were not added into the data compiled by the higher education news service and publication. When just base pay was considered, Peterson’s $677,000 pay was the highest among Georgia’s leaders, and ranked 12th in the country for that fiscal year, which ended June 30, 2015.
Both Eric Barron and Michael Drake, presidents at Pennsylvania State University at University Park and Ohio State received $800,000 in base pay, the highest among public college leaders that year.
At the time of Georgia’s pay hikes, Chancellor Hank Huckaby, head of the state’s University System, defended the pay packages for the presidents.
“Higher education has become a competitive market for leaders,” he said. “We compete for the best, and we want to keep them.”
Still, the Regents faced criticism from some people over the increases, along with years of rising tuition costs. During the most recent round of setting presidents' pay in May, the Regents approved much lower increases. Becker and Peterson received 1.5 percent pay hikes this month. Other presidents in the system saw their pay increase between 1.5 percent and 5 percent.
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