Rutgers President Robert Barchi.JPG

Rutgers University President Robert Barchi ranked 72nd on this year's list of highest-paid college presidents, though only part of his yearly compensation was considered because he had just started the job.

(Patti Sapone/The Star-Ledger)



The average public college president earned nearly $479,000 in 2012-2013, with nine top college officials taking home more than $1 million in total compensation, according to a new survey.

The Chronicle of Higher Education, a national industry publication, surveyed the salaries, bonuses and other pay for more than 250 college presidents and chancellors in 2012-2013. The survey ranked E. Gordon Gee, who resigned last year from the presidency of Ohio State University, as the top-paid leader of a public college.

Gee, who stepped down in 2013 after coming under fire for making controversial jokes about Catholics and others, had a base pay of more than $850,000. But his total compensation totaled more than $6 million, mostly from deferred compensation payments built into his contract that paid him a lump sum if he stayed in his job a certain number of years. Gee is now president of West Virginia University, though his pay at that school was not included in this year's survey.

As college president's contracts become more complex, it is increasingly difficult to determine their exact pay. The survey looked at each president's total compensation, including base pay, bonuses, severance pay, retirement payments and deferred compensation.

In addition to Gee, the top five highest-paid college leaders were: R. Bowen Loftin, of Texas A&M University at College Station ($1,636,274); Hamid A. Shirvani, of the North Dakota University system ($1,311,095); Renu Khator, of the University of Houston main campus ($1,266,000); and Sally K. Mason, of the University of Iowa (Iowa), $1,139,705. Loftin and Shirvani have since left office.

Ranking No. 6 through No. 10 were: Michael A. McRobbie, of Indiana University at Bloomington ($1,111,924); Michael F. Adams, of the University of Georgia ($1,074,869); V. Gordon Moulton, of the University of South Alabama ($1,072,121); Mary Sue Coleman, of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor ($1,037,357) and Mark G. Yudof, of the University of California system ($857,085). Adams, Moulton and Yudof recently stepped down.

Two New Jersey college leaders made the top 100 list: New Jersey Institute of Technology President Joel Bloom ranked 67th with a total compensation of $566,280 and Rutgers University President Robert Barchi ranked 72nd with a total compensation of $551,669. However, Barchi's ranking was based on a portion of his yearly salary because he took office in September, 2012.

Barchi is expected to rank much higher on the list in future years once his full salary and compensation is considered. Under his Rutgers contract, Barchi earns a $650,000 base salary and is eligible for a maximum annual incentive bonus of $97,500. Last fall, the Rutgers Board of Governors awarded Barchi a $90,000 bonus for his first year on the job, though the president donated the money back to the university.

"It is our intention that this money be used to augment student aid for undergraduate students at our university," Barchi said at the time.

Barchi's total compensation of more than $740,000 last year would have moved him up into the top 25 on this year's list of highest-paid presidents.

In New Jersey, public college presidents' salaries are set by each school's governing board. There are no salary limits or guidelines set by the state.

Though compensation for public college presidents has been rising, more private college presidents earn in excess of $1 million, the Chronicle of Higher Education found. In a separate survey released last year, 42 private-college presidents earned more than $1 million, according to the analysis of 2011 college tax returns.

Outgoing Princeton University President Shirley Tilghman was the highest-paid private college president in the state with a total compensation package of $935,326, according to the Chronicle's survey. Tilghman, who stepped down last summer, was the 51st-highest-paid private college president in the nation that year.

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