Meet two of the local high-rollers of academia: University of Maryland Chancellor William E. Kirwan and George Mason University President Alan G. Merten.
The pair ranked among the 10 highest paid public college chief executives in the 2009-2010 fiscal year, according to a recent Chronicle of Higher Education survey. Kirwan ranked sixth, with $716,744 in total compensation, and Merten took the 10th spot with $633,631, according to the Chronicle.
The survey of 185 community college and public university officials defined total compensation as actual dollars received in base pay, bonuses, and deferred-compensation payouts -- e.g. pensions and retirement plans.
E. Gordon Gee, president of Ohio State University and Time’s best college president of 2009, topped the list, having earned more than $1.3 million in total compensation.
These hefty price tags have garnered much public criticism, especially in light of shrinking state budgets and increasing pay cuts for college employees, but appear to be low on state lawmakers’ list of priorities.
“There’s probably an understanding on behalf of members of the legislature of market forces…this is never talked about,” Merten -- who recently announced plans to retire in 2012 -- told The Chronicle.
Some university officials have taken steps to address the controversy. The University of Maryland adopted a policy some years ago that sets senior executive pay at the 75th percentile of peer universities, while Gee used his 2009-2010 pay to fund scholarships and other university endeavors.
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The Washington Post's Daniel de Vise argued that the public university presidents are not the academy's top earners, in a Monday blog post. Several private university officials, as well as the head football coaches at the University of Virginia and the University of Maryland -- former Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen allegedly made $1.9 million in 2009 -- pull in more bank per annum, he reported.
Check out more education-related stories in our Education Nation section.
