TROY — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute President Shirley Ann Jackson received a six-figure pay raise that may put her $2.3 million in earnings among the top ranks of higher education compensation, according to the school's most recent tax filings.

Jackson's compensation and benefits jumped $568,564 to $2,340,441 between 2009 and 2010, according to the school's 2010 tax filings, the most recent available. She has consistently been among the top 10 highest paid higher education leaders in the country, and the latest increase may once again place her in the top three.

"The value she contributes to the institute far exceeds the amount she is paid," William N. Walker, a top RPI administrator, said in a statement issued Monday. "In short, she is worth every penny."

She received two bonuses in 2010, stated Walker, who is vice president for strategic communications and external relations.

"For her accomplishments, she was awarded a performance bonus in 2010," he stated. "Also, in acknowledgement of her comprehensive transformation of the Institute, the board of trustees recognized Dr. Jackson's commitment to Rensselaer for another 10 years by providing an incentive bonus."

The bonus pay was $680,749, a $444,160 increase from the bonus she received in 2009. Few other area schools give out bonuses to employees. Jackson's base salary was $859,998, and she earned $126,374 in other compensation, $646,390 in deferred compensation and $27,930 in nontaxable benefits, records show.

As in previous years, much of Jackson's reported compensation has been deferred and will be paid later, according to Walker.

Jackson's husband, Morris Washington, earned $173,516 as a physics professor from the school in 2010, according to the public filing.

On Monday, CampusGrotto.com, a college website, released a list of the most expensive schools in the country, and RPI landed at No. 28. RPI's total cost of $56,925 was the highest among the Capital Region schools.

While Jackson's pay tops those of leaders at schools like Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she received her Ph.D. in theoretical elementary particle physics, the annual discussion of her pay brings a groundswell of support from within the RPI community.

On Monday, Walker stated: "Under her leadership, the institute has become a top-tier, world-class teaching and research institution with global reach and global impact, and continues to grow in stature and influence."

Her compensation is an annual story that typically receives national attention. Alumni send in letters to the editor defending her pay, incensed that it receives so much attention over the good things happening on campus. Critics say her pay and perks, including a brand-new mansion, cast a shadow on the school.

Jackson ranked No. 7 in the Chronicle of Higher Education's list for college presidents' pay, which came out last year. Still, the rate at which Jackson's pay has increased is not unheard of in higher education, according to the Chronicle. It said presidential pay at private colleges and universities increased 75 percent between 1999 and 2009.

In the Capital Region, the next highest paid university official after Jackson is Alain Kaloyeros, president and chief executive officer of the University at Albany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering. He made $1.3 million last year.

In addition to her RPI compensation, Jackson pulled down $1.4 million from her role on the corporate board of six companies, including Marathon Oil Corp., IBM and FedEx. Though many other higher education leaders also serve on corporate boards, Jackson topped that pay list in the most recent Chronicle survey.

swaldman@timesunion.com • 518-454-5080 • @518Schools