College presidents’ pay rising

ASSOCIATED PRESS

College presidents are getting healthy raises, and a dozen at private universities earn $1 million or more including benefits, according to a new survey published Monday.

Salaries at public universities remain a tier lower but also are on the rise, with eight presidents earning $700,000 or more last year, six more than the year before, according to the annual survey by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Presidential salaries are facing closer scrutiny at a time when college prices continue to rise well above the rate of inflation.

The survey reports salaries from private colleges for 2005-06, the latest year for which they are available. Figures for public colleges are for 2006-07.

Of the 12 presidents earning $1 million or more, only three remain at their current institutions.

Richard Freeland, who stepped down in August 2006 at Northeastern University, was identified as the highest-paid president, with $2,887,775 in total compensation, including $2,373,285 in benefits.

James P. Gallagher, who stepped down at Philadelphia University, had $2,557,219 in total compensation, including $2.21 million in vested deferred compensation for the last five years.

Several presidents earned substantially more because of retirement bonuses or deferred compensation, including Benjamin Ladner, who received $4.3 million in pay and benefits in fiscal 2006 from American University.

The highest-paid, still-sitting president was William Brody at Johns Hopkins University, who received $1,938,024 in total compensation. Just under $1.5 million came in the form of salary from the university, including about $920,000 in deferred compensation.

The highest-paid public university president listed in the survey was David P. Roselle of the University of Delaware, who received $874,687 in 2005-06. Delaware considers itself a quasi-private institution, so those figures were the most recent. Roselle retired earlier this year.

He was followed by John T. Casteen III of the University of Virginia, with $753,672, and Mark Emmert of the University of Washington at $752,700.