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Cleveland State University President Ronald Berkman earned $667,500 in compensation in the 2014 fiscal year, placing him among the top tier of all public college presidents.

(Karen Farkas, cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Five of Ohio's 13 public college presidents, including Cleveland State University President Ronald Berkman, received more than $600,000 in compensation in the 2014-15 fiscal year.

That placed them among the top 50 nationally, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education's annual survey.

Only Texas, with seven leaders receiving more than $600,000, exceeded Ohio's numbers.

The Chronicle's analysis reflects the pay of 259 chief executives at 236 public colleges and systems.

The median total annual compensation of a public-college president was $431,000, an increase of 4.3 percent over the prior fiscal year, the Chronicle said.

Total compensation includes base pay, bonus, deferred compensation paid out, and severance.

Here's the Ohio list:

Berkman: $667,500 (base salary $430,000)

Wright State University President David Hopkins: $803,320 (base salary $424,320)

Ohio State University President Michael Drake earned his base salary of $800,000. He received a $200,000 bonus after the fiscal year ended.

Former University of Cincinnati President Santa Ono: $625,000 (base salary $525,000)

Former Miami University President David Hodge earned $614,931 (base salary $419,439).

Hopkins ranked high because he was paid $275,000 in deferred compensation. Drake had the highest base pay of all presidents, along with the president of Pennsylvania State University.

Finding and keeping good presidents is worth the cost, according to trustees and consultants, said Dan Bauman, the Chronicle reporter who gathered the data.

"Trustees are considering what the president can do for them," he said. If a president can increase donations, enrollment or national rankings then paying them more is worth it.

"A hundred thousand dollars may be a small price to pay if it potentially helps your university," he said.

CSU trustees have maintained Berman's salary is due to his ability to increase donations and raise the university's profile.

Bauman said two presidents in Texas will have a base salary of more than $1 million in next year's survey.

Total compensation for the other Ohio presidents are:

Ohio University President Roderick McDavis: $550,000 (base salary of $465,000)

Kent State University President Beverly Warren: $450,000 (she received a $75,000 bonus after the fiscal year)

Former University of Akron President Scott Scarborough: $450,000

Interim University of Toledo President Nagi Ganapathy Naganathan:$445,700 (base salary of $392,700)

Bowling Green State University President Mary Ellen Mazey: $394,200. She received a $50,000 bonus after the fiscal year.

The Chronicle does not include Youngstown State University. President Jim Tressel earns a base salary of $300,000 a year.

More detailed information on the public university survey and results is available at chronicle.com/compensation.

The Chronicle publishes information on compensation for presidents of private colleges in the fall, using public documents filed with the Internal Revenue Service.

In its most recent report on 2013 compensation, Case Western Reserve University President Barbara Snyder earned about $1.1 million a year.

This story was updated to indicate that the Miami University president has retired.