The Reporter (Lansdale, PA)

Pay for private university chiefs grows by 4 percent

- By Collin Binkley

BOSTON >> Presidents of America’s private colleges and universiti­es saw their pay increase by nearly 4 percent in 2016, with dozens receiving more than $1 million, according to a new report .

The average chief made about $560,000 in total compensati­on, including salary, bonuses and benefits, according to an annual survey of 500 schools released Sunday by The Chronicle of Higher Education. It continues years of growth, including average increases of about 9 percent in each of the two previous years.

Topping the list was Ken Starr, the former president of Baylor University, who left in 2016 amid a scandal over the school’s handling of sexual assault accusation­s against football players. That year Starr received nearly $5 million, most of which came from a severance agreement he negotiated with the school, according to The Chronicle. The year before, he made $1.4 million.

Baylor spokeswoma­n Lori Fogleman said the terms of Starr’s agreement are confidenti­al, but she noted that “a portion” of his compensati­on was to buy out his tenured faculty position at Baylor’s law school.

Following Starr were Lee Bollinger, president of Columbia University, who received nearly $4 million, and Amy Gutmann, president of the University of Pennsylvan­ia, with $3.2 million. Both have been among the 10 highest paid presidents of private universiti­es since 2012.

Newcomers to the top 10 include Victor Boschini of Texas Christian University, who was paid $2.8 million, and Edward Guiliano of the New York Institute of Technology at Old Westbury, with $2.7 million.

The number of chiefs making more than $1 million ticked up to 61 in 2016, compared to 58 the year before, while the number topping $2 million dipped slightly, to eight.

Along with Starr, several other leaders who left amid turmoil saw their pay balloon in 2016 through negotiated settlement­s, including at Suffolk University in Massachuse­tts, Mount St. Mary’s University in Maryland and Wittenberg University in Ohio.

At Suffolk University, for example, former President Margaret McKenna was paid about $300,000 for the half-year she worked in 2015 after being hired in July. She also worked just a half-year in 2016 before she was fired following clashes with the school’s governing board, but she received $658,000 that year through a deal tied to her departure.

Officials at Suffolk declined to comment on the agreement.

The Chronicle’s study is based on university tax filings for 2016, the latest year available. It includes yearly salaries, along with a variety of other forms of compensati­on including bonuses, health insurance, housing and retirement benefits.

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