Private and public university presidents' salaries have continued to climb in recent years despite a weakening economy and the rising cost of tuition, according to a Chronicle of Higher Education study. AU President Neil Kerwin's $573,206 in salary and benefits for the 2006-2007 academic year is near the median salary for private university presidents, according to USA Today.
Fifteen public university presidents made at least $700,000 for the 2007-2008 academic year, according to the survey done by the Chronicle. The survey also showed that nearly one-third of public university presidents earn more than $500,000.
The highest-paid president was Suffolk University President David Sargent, who received a salary of $2.8 million, including $1.19 million in benefits, for the 2006-2007 academic year, according to the survey. Suffolk University representatives told the Chronicle that Sargent's high salary is due in large part to the fact he has worked at the university for more than 52 years.
The average salary for public university presidents was $427,400 for the 2006-2007 academic year, according to the Chronicle. Private university presidents made an average of $527,000 during the same period, according to USA Today.
The Chronicle included salary information for the presidents of many D.C. area public and private universities for the 2006-2007 academic year. Former George Washington University President Stephen J. Trachtenberg had a full salary package of $798,827, the highest of any local college president at the time. Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia made $591,617 that year, while Howard University President H. Patrick Swygert made $553,534 and Rev. David M. O'Connell, president of Catholic University, made $307,790. Gallaudet University President Robert R. Davila had the lowest salary in D.C. at $292,150.
Kerwin's $573,206 salary for that year includes $466,600 in salary and $106,706 in benefits, according to tax forms the university submitted in March.
David Taylor, Kerwin's chief of staff, said in an e-mail that the board of trustees' Compensation Committee determines Kerwin's salary based on market comparisons with other colleges and universities. The board is responsible for any future changes to Kerwin's salary.
"Determinations about future salary will be based on the board analysis and recommendation," Taylor said.
Lina Guerrero, a junior in the Kogod School of Business, said Kerwin's salary was slightly more than what she felt was necessary for a college president.
"That kind of salary is expected at a private school, but it is still a little high," she said. "It should be less. If we had a lower tuition he probably would be paid less."
Former AU President Benjamin Ladner made $881,696 during the 2004-2005 academic year, according to the Chronicle. Ladner made $291,566 during the 1996-1997 academic year, the first academic year that the Chronicle conducted this survey. Ladner received $4,270,665 for the academic year 2005-2006. This consisted of $1,773,653 in deferred compensation saved for over 11 years, $963,125 in deferred compensation saved over 10 years in an insurance policy, a $950,000 severance payment, a salary of $240,079, an incentive pay of $132,500 and other payments of $124,525, according to the Chronicle's records. The board of trustees dismissed Ladner Oct. 10, 2005, after they determined he misused university funds, The Eagle previously reported. Many within the AU community were angry about Ladner's severance pay, which some referred to as a "golden parachute."
Eduardo Otaola, a senior in Kogod, said he believes Kerwin's salary as reasonable, given his position.
"I would rather have our president being paid a high salary," he said. "It ensures that he will do a good job and will work hard for our school. Salaries should be based on market pricing."
Public university presidents' salaries in states neighboring D.C. vary considerably. George Mason University President Alan G. Merten made $564,770 for 2006-2007. The president of the University of Virginia, John Casteen, had one of the highest salaries of any public university president in the country with $797,048.
Zahra Alwaz, a senior in Kogod, said the differences in salaries between public and private school presidents are to be expected.
"In a private university, a president is dealing with different kinds of people than in a public university," she said. "It's also a different responsibility. Not everyone can be a college president."
Some college presidents took salary cuts or donated money back to the school, including University of Connecticut President Michael Hogan, Rutgers University President Richard McCormick and University of Louisville President James Ramsey of the University of Louisville, USA Today reported. University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann donated $100,000 of her more than $1 million salary to the undergraduate research at the university, according The New York Times.
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