Eight presidents or chancellors of public universities had total compensation of $1 million or more in 2015-16. Three of those eight top executives led a university system or institution in Texas. The average pay for chief executives who served the entire year at public universities was slightly more than $521,000.
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| 1. | Michael M. Crow | Arizona State U. | $1,554,058 | $838,458 | 54.0% |
| 2. | William H. McRaven | U. of Texas system | $1,500,000 | $1,200,000 | 80.0% |
| 3. | John Sharp | Texas A&M U. system office | $1,280,438 | $900,000 | 70.3% |
| 4. | W. Kent Fuchs | U. of Florida | $1,102,862 | $863,295 | 78.3% |
| 5. | Michael A. McRobbie | Indiana U. system | $1,067,074 | $600,000 | 56.2% |
| 6. | Eric J. Barron | Pennsylvania State U. at University Park | $1,039,717 | $800,000 | 76.9% |
| 7. | Michael V. Drake | Ohio State U. | $1,034,574 | $813,334 | 78.6% |
| 8. | Michael K. Young | Texas A&M U. at College Station | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | 100.0% |
| 9. | Jean E. Robillard* | U. of Iowa | $929,045 | $741,260 | 79.8% |
| 10. | Raymond Watts | U. of Alabama at Birmingham | $890,000 | $469,572 | 52.8% |
| 11. | Judy L. Genshaft | U. of South Florida | $879,506 | $470,000 | 53.4% |
| 12. | Lou Anna K. Simon | Michigan State U. | $860,198 | $750,000 | 87.2% |
| 13. | Susan Herbst | U. of Connecticut | $852,773 | $585,000 | 68.6% |
| 14. | Renu Khator | U. of Houston | $850,960 | $700,000 | 82.3% |
| 15. | Eli Capilouto | U. of Kentucky | $834,873 | $790,000 | 94.6% |
| 16. | Santa J. Ono | U. of Cincinnati | $803,500 | $525,000 | 65.3% |
| 17. | Neil D. Theobald | Temple U. | $799,468 | $725,000 | 90.7% |
| 18. | W. Randolph Woodson | North Carolina State U. | $796,236 | $590,000 | 74.1% |
| 19. | James P. Clements | Clemson U. | $793,764 | $780,472 | 98.3% |
| 20. | Robert E. Witt* | U. of Alabama system | $793,638 | $674,838 | 85.0% |
| 21. | Robert L. Barchi | Rutgers U. at New Brunswick | $783,046 | $655,614 | 83.7% |
| 22. | Mark S. Schlissel | U. of Michigan at Ann Arbor | $782,481 | $768,750 | 98.2% |
| 23. | E. Gordon Gee | West Virginia U. | $779,323 | $775,507 | 99.5% |
| 24. | Patrick T. Harker* | U. of Delaware | $773,890 | $355,841 | 46.0% |
| 25. | John C. Hitt | U. of Central Florida | $771,351 | $505,730 | 65.6% |
| 26. | Gregory L. Fenves | U. of Texas at Austin | $761,570 | $750,000 | 98.5% |
| 27. | Stuart R. Bell | U. of Alabama at Tuscaloosa | $755,000 | $650,000 | 86.1% |
| 28. | Harris Pastides | U. of South Carolina at Columbia | $749,339 | $649,339 | 86.7% |
| 29. | David C. Hodge | Miami U. (Ohio) | $740,182 | $432,022 | 58.4% |
| 30. | Lee F. Jackson | U. of North Texas system | $734,967 | $613,347 | 83.5% |
| 31. | Brian McCall | Texas State U. system | $729,798 | $520,000 | 71.3% |
| 32. | G.P. (Bud) Peterson | Georgia Institute of Technology | $720,192 | $661,480 | 91.8% |
| 33. | Samuel L. Stanley Jr. | Stony Brook U. | $708,671 | $440,640 | 62.2% |
| 34. | Joel S. Bloom | New Jersey Institute of Technology | $698,094 | $554,596 | 79.4% |
| 35. | Satish K. Tripathi | U. at Buffalo | $696,970 | $431,970 | 62.0% |
| 36. | Daniel J. Klaich* | Nevada System of Higher Education | $694,185 | $309,349 | 44.6% |
| 37. | James B. Milliken | City U. of New York | $689,786 | $670,000 | 97.1% |
| 38. | Joseph A. DiPietro | U. of Tennessee system | $689,661 | $488,899 | 70.9% |
| 39. | Robert L. Duncan | Texas Tech U. system | $686,397 | $508,737 | 74.1% |
| 40. | Michael H. Schill | U. of Oregon | $675,662 | $660,650 | 97.8% |
| 41. | David W. Pershing | U. of Utah | $674,227 | $438,007 | 65.0% |
| 42. | James R. Ramsey | U. of Louisville | $673,908 | $673,908 | 100.0% |
| 43. | Roderick J. McDavis | Ohio U. | $670,000 | $480,000 | 71.6% |
| 44. | Robert L. Caret | University System of Maryland | $659,026 | $600,000 | 91.0% |
| 45. | Anthony A. Frank | Colorado State U. at Fort Collins | $647,500 | $587,500 | 90.7% |
| 46. | Ronald M. Berkman | Cleveland State U. | $641,817 | $450,000 | 70.1% |
| 47. | Angel Cabrera | George Mason U. | $639,300 | $541,187 | 84.7% |
| 48. | Cheslie Ray Hayes* | U. of Alabama system | $632,503 | $527,503 | 83.4% |
| 49. | Eric W. Kaler | U. of Minnesota-Twin Cities | $626,450 | $625,250 | 99.8% |
| 50. | Michael Rao | Virginia Commonwealth U. | $622,137 | $572,137 | 92.0% |
* Served for only part of the 2016 fiscal year
Note: Salary data for 254 chief executives at 221 public colleges and systems were collected as part of The Chronicle’s annual executive-compensation survey. Rank is for total compensation in the 2016 fiscal year, which typically runs from July 1, 2015, to June 30, 2016. 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. Complete data can be found at www.chronicle.com/interactives/executive-compensation.</small></p>