UW System raises:
Five of the University of Wisconsin System’s longest-serving chancellors receive raises ranging from 4% to 6%, bringing their salaries to $220,000 and keeping them “on par with their peers.”
Madison — Five of the University of Wisconsin System’s longest-serving chancellors were awarded raises this week ranging from 4% to 6%, bringing their salaries to $220,000 to “help keep these leaders on par with their peers,” according to a UW System spokeswoman.
The five were among 10 chancellors who received raises averaging 3% in 2013, when the Board of Regents last approved scheduled raises for chancellors. Including the raises awarded Thursday, chancellors at UW-La Crosse, UW-River Falls, UW-Superior, UW-Parkside and UW-Platteville have had pay gains from $18,000 to over $23,000 in three years.
When raises were awarded in 2013, several Republican lawmakers strongly objected because the UW System was in the midst of a controversy over campuses across the state accumulating hundreds of thousands of dollars in unspent balances that lawmakers did not know about until an audit. The UW System has since changed its accounting practices to account for all unspent cash balances and their intended purposes at the end of each fiscal year.
The UW System has 14 chancellors; eight have been appointed in the past three years, including UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank, who started in 2013, and UWM Chancellor Mark Mone, who was promoted to chancellor in 2014.
Another longtime chancellor, UW-Stevens Point Chancellor Bernie Patterson, did not receive a raise Thursday or in 2013. The chancellor, hired in 2010, already had a salary of $233,310 in 2013 — higher than the other chancellors of the 11 comprehensive campuses.
The regents approved the latest raises behind closed doors after a daylong public meeting at UW-Madison. Personnel decisions are always made in closed sessions.
“These increases will help keep these leaders on par with their peers across the U.S., as well as within the UW System,” UW System spokeswoman Stephanie Marquis said.
Following are chancellor raises awarded Thursday, and total pay increases over three years including 2013 raises:
UW-Superior Chancellor Renee Wachter, who started in 2011, got the largest raise of nearly $13,000 — from $207,505 to $220,000. Her pay went up $23,050 in three years.
UW-Parkside’s chancellor since 2009, Deborah Ford, got a raise of more than $10,000 — from $209,570 to $220,000. Her pay went up $18,505 in three years.
Dean Van Galen, chancellor at UWRiver Falls since 2009, got a nearly $10,000 raise — from $210,080 to $220,000. His pay went up $18,000 in three years.
Dennis Shields, chancellor at UWPlatteville since 2010, got a nearly $10,000 raise — from $210,080 to $220,000. His pay went up $18,000 in three years.
Joe Gow, UW-La Crosse’s chancellor since 2007, got a nearly $8,000 raise — from $212,389 to $220,000. His pay went up $20,214 in three years.
The regents on Thursday also voted to seek $78 million in new state funding in the next biennium to boost the UW System’s base pay pool by 2% each of the next two years so other employees could get raises determined by chancellors.