Twelve presidents or chancellors of public universities or systems had total compensation of $1 million or more in the 2017 fiscal year. Three of those 12 top-paid executives led universities in Florida, and three led a university system or institution in Texas. Most of the earnings of the highest-paid leader, James R. Ramsey of the University of Louisville, came from a payout of nearly $3.35 million in deferred compensation. Only nine of the 50 highest-paid leaders were women. Among leaders who served full years at institutions surveyed by The Chronicle in both 2016 and 2017, average pay was nearly $560,000.
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| 1. | James R. Ramsey* | U. of Louisville | $4,290,232 | $55,703 | 1.3% |
| 2. | Jay Gogue* | Auburn U. | $1,827,786 | $451,333 | 24.7% |
| 3. | William H. McRaven | U. of Texas system | $1,500,140 | $1,200,000 | 80.0% |
| 4. | Neil D. Theobald* | Temple U. | $1,380,071 | $718,303 | 52.1% |
| 5. | John Sharp | Texas A&M U. system office | $1,285,147 | $900,000 | 70.0% |
| 6. | John C. Hitt | U. of Central Florida | $1,278,371 | $505,730 | 39.6% |
| 7. | Judy L. Genshaft | U. of South Florida | $1,184,520 | $493,500 | 41.7% |
| 8. | Douglas D. Baker | Northern Illinois U. | $1,124,248 | $450,000 | 40.0% |
| 9. | W. Kent Fuchs | U. of Florida | $1,099,975 | $866,425 | 78.8% |
| 10. | Michael V. Drake | Ohio State U. | $1,073,272 | $829,600 | 77.3% |
| 11. | Eric J. Barron | Pennsylvania State U. at University Park | $1,038,170 | $818,000 | 78.8% |
| 12. | Michael K. Young | Texas A&M U. at College Station | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | 100.0% |
| 13. | Margaret Spellings | U. of North Carolina system | $977,077 | $775,000 | 79.3% |
| 14. | Renu Khator | U. of Houston | $913,351 | $704,983 | 77.2% |
| 15. | Raymond Watts | U. of Alabama at Birmingham | $889,571 | $485,297 | 54.6% |
| 16. | Michael M. Crow | Arizona State U. | $860,649 | $795,024 | 92.4% |
| 17. | Lou Anna K. Simon | Michigan State U. | $857,024 | $750,000 | 87.5% |
| 18. | Eli Capilouto | U. of Kentucky | $827,632 | $790,000 | 95.5% |
| 19. | W. Randolph Woodson | North Carolina State U. | $826,136 | $617,376 | 74.7% |
| 20. | David W. Pershing | U. of Utah | $824,941 | $480,548 | 58.3% |
| 21. | Susan Herbst | U. of Connecticut | $823,907 | $627,716 | 76.2% |
| 22. | Robert L. Barchi | Rutgers U. at New Brunswick | $818,033 | $702,081 | 85.8% |
| 23. | James P. Clements | Clemson U. | $809,334 | $795,629 | 98.3% |
| 24. | Mark S. Schlissel | U. of Michigan at Ann Arbor | $806,374 | $791,812 | 98.2% |
| 25. | E. Gordon Gee | West Virginia U. | $799,650 | $796,938 | 99.7% |
| 26. | Robert L. Caret | U. System of Maryland | $785,696 | $630,000 | 80.2% |
| 27. | Mitchell E. Daniels Jr. | Purdue U. at West Lafayette | $770,520 | $420,000 | 54.5% |
| 28. | Stuart R. Bell | U. of Alabama at Tuscaloosa | $768,000 | $663,000 | 86.3% |
| 29. | Gregory L. Fenves | U. of Texas at Austin | $762,220 | $750,000 | 98.4% |
| 30. | Bernadette Gray-Little | U. of Kansas | $759,508 | $531,008 | 69.9% |
| 31. | Cheslie Ray Hayes | U. of Alabama system | $758,125 | $653,125 | 86.2% |
| 32. | Beverly J. Warren | Kent State U. | $756,207 | $468,180 | 61.9% |
| 33. | Lee F. Jackson | U. of North Texas system | $750,838 | $608,100 | 81.0% |
| 34. | Samuel L. Stanley, Jr. | Stony Brook U. | $747,001 | $449,453 | 60.2% |
| 35. | Brian McCall | Texas State U. system | $746,000 | $546,000 | 73.2% |
| 36. | G.P. (Bud) Peterson | Georgia Institute of Technology | $730,099 | $671,402 | 92.0% |
| 37. | Satish K. Tripathi | U. at Buffalo | $723,470 | $723,470 | 100.0% |
| 38. | Joel S. Bloom | New Jersey Institute of Technology | $721,071 | $571,650 | 79.3% |
| 39. | Robert L. Duncan | Texas Tech U. system | $716,583 | $509,750 | 71.1% |
| 40. | Ana Mari Cauce | U. of Washington | $712,498 | $712,498 | 100.0% |
| 41. | Timothy Killeen | U. of Illinois system | $712,246 | $600,000 | 84.2% |
| 42. | Anthony A. Frank | Colorado State U. at Fort Collins | $700,000 | $600,000 | 85.7% |
| 43. | Harris Pastides | U. of South Carolina at Columbia | $691,592 | $591,592 | 85.5% |
| 44. | Michael Rao | Virginia Commonwealth U. | $690,943 | $523,281 | 75.7% |
| 45. | James B. Milliken | City U. of New York system | $689,786 | $670,000 | 97.1% |
| 46. | Michael H. Schill | U. of Oregon | $675,520 | $660,000 | 97.7% |
| 47. | Carine M. Feyten | Texas Woman’s U. | $658,860 | $460,000 | 69.8% |
| 48. | Steven J. Rosenstone | Minnesota State Colleges
and Universities system | $650,994 | $390,000 | 59.9% |
| 49. | Angel Cabrera | George Mason U. | $645,017 | $545,017 | 84.5% |
| 50. | Ronald M. Berkman | Cleveland State U. | $641,817 | $450,000 | 70.1% |
* Served for only part of the 2017 fiscal year
Note: Salary data for 253 chief-executive roles at 222 public colleges and systems were collected as part of The Chronicle’s annual executive-compensation survey. Rank is for total compensation in the 2017 fiscal year, which typically runs from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017. Included in total compensation, in addition to base pay, are bonus pay, nontaxable benefits like medical benefits, severance pay, payouts of deferred compensation, and any other reportable pay. Not counted is deferred or retirement compensation set aside in the fiscal year to be paid out in later years. The University of Pittsburgh declined to participate in the survey for 2016-17 compensation. Complete data can be found here. Questions or comments on the Almanac should be sent to the Almanac editor.