President Kerwin’s salary is “reasonable,” said Board of Trustees Chairman Gary Abramson at a town-hall-style meeting Nov. 19.
The Chronicle of Higher Education reported in November that Kerwin’s compensation was $1.4 million for fiscal year 2007-2008, though his salary was less than $600,000.
“$1.4 million would be overpayment,” Kerwin said. “In fact, it would be a substantial overpayment.”
The Board of Trustees is responsible for annually determining the president’s salary and compensation.
“We feel that [the Board is] paying him a very reasonable salary,” Abramson said.
Kerwin and Abramson also discussed how the recession is affecting students, tuition payment options and how the university is progressing on its Strategic Plan.
The Board does not plan to touch on changes to tuition until summer 2010, Kerwin said.
Kerwin and Abramson also addressed the recession’s effect on students.
“We deal with students on an individual basis to confront the challenges they are facing,” Kerwin said.
The university’s attention is most heavily focussed on existing students when it comes to financial problems, he said. The university has added about $4 million to financial aid, Provost Scott Bass said.
The admissions office has recently recorded a dramatic increase in students eligible for the Pell Grant, according to Kerwin. The Federal Pell Grant Program identifies low-income students and awards them with need-based funding for their undergraduate education.
Kerwin and Abramson also discussed the progress of the Strategic Plan.
“The general condition [of the plan] ... is very positive,” Kerwin said. “We don’t find ourselves in a situation where we launched a plan in a period of severe financial stringency.”
The Strategic Plan’s mission is to align the university’s performance with its reputation. There is a 10-year effort currently underway to “reveal the value” of AU, Kerwin said, and it was created with accountability and transparency in mind, he said.
“Any person on this campus or our extended family who wants to comment, or wanted to play a role in this process, would have a voice and an opportunity to do it,” Kerwin said. “We can’t guarantee that we can get them what they want, but we can guarantee there would be a forum for it.”
You can reach this staff writer at scarignan@theeagleonline.com.
