While the salaries of university presidents continued to rise slightly across the nation, state university leaders tightened their belts this year in response to Oregon’s sluggish economy.
Nationally, pay for university presidents slowed but remained on a slight upward trend, according to an annual report by the Chronicle of Higher Education. The median compensation for presidents grew to $436,111, an increase of 2.3 percent compared with last year’s salaries.
Meanwhile, presidents at all seven of Oregon’s public institutions agreed to a voluntary 4.6 percent salary cut from March through June 2009 and a pay freeze, keeping their salaries at 2008 levels, according to the Oregon University System.
The average compensation for Oregon public university presidents for the 2009-10 school year is $269,746.
The Chronicle report found most university presidents in the nation earn between $400,000 and $500,000.
The cuts are part of a larger trend in Oregon of higher education woes. Classified and unclassified staff are taking unpaid furlough days; faculty pay is stagnant; and tuition has risen across the board for students.
Although practices varied from university to university, Oregon University System Spokesperson Di Saunders said state faculty were given the option of taking voluntary pay cuts, as well.
“We really stepped up to the plate to share the pain among faculty, staff and students,” Saunders said. “We did a good job across the system of sharing the pain to get through this budget crisis.”
University President Richard Lariviere currently earns the most out of the Oregon field with a compensation of $414,397. Oregon State University President Edward Ray comes in at a close second, earning $414,377. Southern Oregon University President Mary Cullinan earns the least with $176,929.
However, Ray and Lariviere both receive $180,000 of their salary from their respective university foundations.
University presidents in Oregon also receive state-owned housing and, with the exception of Western Oregon University President John Minahan, a vehicle.
The president of Oregon Health & Science University, Dr. Joseph Robertson, currently earns $811,252. However, OHSU is an independent public corporation not tied to the Oregon University System. Robertson agreed to a 20 percent cut in base pay and a loss of all performance pay for 2009.
The total combined salary of all seven Oregon university presidents for 2009-10 is $1,888,224, just a little more than the top-paid public university president in the nation, E. Gordon Gee of Ohio State University, who makes $1.6 million.
Saunders said she didn’t think the salaries would hamper the state in attracting or retaining university presidents.
“Well, I think we have an incredibly committed set of presidents in the system, as well as several new presidents who are very committed to staying in Oregon,” Saunders said. “Salary reductions wouldn’t make or break that. I think it says a lot about our presidents that they agreed to take cuts.”
To the north, University of Washington President Mark A. Emmert earns the second-highest salary of all university presidents in the U.S. with $905,000.
Former University President Dave Frohnmayer earns $245,700 in retirement — the seventh highest salary at the University — to teach a class on leadership. Frohnmayer also received $150,000 in deferred compensation and $65,536 in retirement pay for the 2008-09 academic year, according to figures from the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Saunders said the pay freezes were likely to continue, and she expects the 2011-13 biennium to be another lean period for the OUS.
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University presidential salary cuts reflect Oregon economy
Daily Emerald
January 26, 2010
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