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Data

How Much Are Public-College Presidents Paid?

Base pay, bonuses, and benefits for 178 chief executives at public doctoral universities and systems in 2023.

August 23, 2024

Base pay, bonuses, and benefits for 178 chief executives at public doctoral universities and systems in 2023.

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  • Total pay
  • Base pay
  • Bonus pay
  • Other
  • Benefits
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Notes

Data here may vary from what appeared in print, due to updates and corrections received after publication.

N/A Not applicable

* Did not serve as chief executive for the full year.

a This president has taken a vow of poverty and does not receive compensation.

b This president's salary is paid directly to his/her religious order.

c This president did not appear on this year's tax filings because he/she was not an officer during the corresponding fiscal year.

d This president has taken a vow of poverty and does not receive compensation. Compensation is paid directly to his/her religious order.

e Presidential pay breakdown was not available. Total compensation is presented as base compensation.

Methodology

These data show the total compensation received by chief executives at public college and university systems in the 2023 calendar year. Parenthetical value shown next to total pay is the one-year change. If the president received pay from more than one institution in 2022, those values are combined to determine the percentage change.

All individuals who served as chief executive during this period, including interim and acting leaders, are included. Oftentimes, more than one chief executive served at an institution during a given year. Presidents who served less than the full year are noted.

Compensation values for all employees reflect the compensation earned from the institution (and associated foundations) across a calendar year, regardless of the role or roles held by those employees during the full year.

Photographs were obtained from college websites.

The Chronicle surveyed institutions to collect these public data. Our analysis generally includes all public doctoral universities (nonmilitary service) in the United States as well as all state college and university systems or governing boards with at least three campuses or 50,000 total students enrolled across the system in the most recent academic year.

This analysis does not include systems, state boards, or administrative departments that oversee only technical or community colleges, nor does it include institutions in Puerto Rico.

To ascertain doctoral universities in this survey, The Chronicle used the 2021 update of the Carnegie Basic Classification program.

As of publication time, the following institutions had not submitted compensation data associated with their current and former chief executives to The Chronicle. Open-records requests sent to some of these institutions also had not been fulfilled by publication time:

    • Alabama State University
    • Arizona Board of Regents
    • Arizona State University Digital Immersion
    • Ball State University
    • Board of Trustees-Mississippi State Institutions of Higher Learning
    • California State University (Fullerton, Long Beach, San Bernardino)
    • Central Michigan University
    • City University of New York (City College, Graduate School and University Center, System Office)
    • Cleveland State University
    • Delaware State University
    • Eastern Kentucky University
    • Eastern Michigan University
    • Florida Atlantic University
    • Florida Gulf Coast University
    • Florida International University
    • Grand Valley State University
    • Illinois State University
    • Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus
    • Indiana University (System, Bloomington, Purdue University-Indianapolis)
    • Jackson State University
    • Kean University
    • Kent State University at Kent
    • Marshall University
    • Metropolitan State University
    • Michigan Technological University
    • Middle Tennessee State University
    • Mississippi State University
    • Missouri State University at Springfield
    • Morgan State University
    • Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education-Central Office
    • Prairie View A&M University
    • Purdue University (Global, Main Campus)
    • Radford University
    • Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville
    • Southern University and A&M College
    • Southern University-Board and System
    • State University of New York at Albany
    • State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry
    • State University of New York-System Office
    • Stephen F. Austin State University
    • Stockton University
    • Tarleton State University
    • Temple University
    • Tennessee Board of Regents
    • Tennessee State University
    • Texas A&M University (Corpus Christi, Kingsville, System Office)
    • Texas Southern University
    • Texas Woman’s University
    • University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa
    • University of Alabama (Birmingham, Huntsville, System Office)
    • University of Alaska (Fairbanks, System of Higher Education)
    • University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, Little Rock)
    • University of California (Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, System Administration Central Office)
    • University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
    • University of Georgia
    • University of Hawaii (Hilo, Manoa, System Office)
    • University of Houston (Clear Lake, System Administration)
    • University of Maine-System Central Office
    • University of Maryland-Baltimore County
    • University of Michigan at Flint
    • University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
    • University of Nevada at Las Vegas
    • University of New Orleans
    • University of Northern Colorado
    • University of Oregon
    • University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus
    • University of South Alabama
    • University of South Dakota
    • University of Southern Mississippi
    • University of Texas at Tyler
    • University of Toledo
    • University of Vermont
    • University of Wisconsin (La Crosse, Milwaukee, Oshkosh)
    • University System of Georgia
    • Washburn University
    • West Chester University of Pennsylvania
    • Western Kentucky University
    • Wright State University-Main Campus

    Compensation components

    Total pay: Total compensation reflects the summed values of “base pay,” “bonus pay,” “other,” and “benefits.”

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    Base pay: The value of the total base compensation earned by the employee.

    Bonus pay: The value of all bonuses and incentive compensation earned by the employee.

    Other: This includes deferred compensation paid out in the surveyed calendar year, severance pay, nonpayroll compensation, and other reportable compensation not covered by the above categories.

    Benefits: This reflects the value of nontaxable benefits, including health and medical benefits, life insurance, housing provided by an employer, personal legal and financial services, dependent care, adoption assistance, tuition assistance, and cafeteria plans.

    We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
    Correction (Aug. 27, 2024, 6:00 p.m.): The value of benefits for Gregory Washington of George Mason U. were submitted incorrectly by the institution. They have been corrected and his total compensation has been adjusted to reflect the correct value.

    Correction (Aug. 28, 2024, 11:39 a.m.): U. of North Carolina at Charlotte pay data was incorrectly omitted. This has been corrected.

    Correction (Sep. 6, 2024, 4:17 p.m.): Auburn U.'s submission was not available at time of publication, but has now been added.

    Correction (Sep. 13, 2024, 3:42 p.m.): The values for base salary and "other" pay for Marlene Tromp of Boise State U. were submitted incorrectly by the institution. They have been corrected and her total compensation has been adjusted to reflect the correct value. The submission for Rutgers U. at New Brunswick was not available at time of publication, but has now been added.
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