Eleven presidents of the University of Texas System, including financially ailing MD Anderson Cancer Center, received annual performance bonuses this week totaling more than $1 million.

MD Anderson President Dr. Ron DePinho got the largest bonus, $208,000. He was followed by UT Southwestern Medical Center President Daniel K. Podolsky, who received 186,503, and UTMB-Galveston President Dr. David Callender, who got $146,938. UT-Austin President Greg Fenves turned down a $150,000 bonus.

DePinho, whose cancer center is considering layoffs as a result of $110 million in operational losses in the September-through-November quarter, said through a spokeswoman he is donating his bonus back to the Houston institution for patient care, research, prevention and education. He called the donation "consistent with his annual charitable giving practices."

"My family knew we could do the most good by donating my incentive compensation back to the institution," DePinho, now in his fifth year as president of MD Anderson, said in a statement. Through a spokeswoman, he declined a request to be interviewed for this story.

DePinho's bonus brings his total annual compensation for fiscal year 2016 to $2,053,670.

The bonuses, which come from the institutions' own funds, were paid to each president in one lump sum Monday. They were approved by UT System regents in November.

The UT System awards such bonuses annually to top executives in lieu of raises, a compensation program that officials say makes presidential performance more accountable. The incentives, which are usually as much as 15 percent of the base salary but can go as high as 22 percent, are based on agreed-upon objectives.

DePinho's objectives involved philanthropy, research grant funding, development of a shared governance model, achievement of a budgeted operating margin and implementation of an electronic medical record system. The implementation of the electronic record system was cited as one cause of the recent operational losses at the cancer center. Shared governance became an issue early in DePinho's presidency as a result of faculty complaints about their lack of input into decisions.

"A president's performance is not measured solely on the basis of operating financial performance," UT System Chancellor William McRaven said in a statement. "The UT System is fully aware of the recent operating losses at MD Anderson, and I have confidence in Dr. DePinho and his leadership team's strategy to address the issue."

McRaven said DePinho was successful in achieving the majority of his goals last year.

The other bonuses awarded by the UT System regents included $118,862 to Dr. William Henrich, president of UT Health Science Center at San Antonio; $106,946 to Dr. Giuseppe Colasurdo, president of the UT Health Science Center at Houston; and $102,000 to Guy Bailey, president of UT Rio Grande Valley. All the others were under $100,000.

UT-El Paso President Diana Natalicio also turned down her bonus. She would have received $60,000.

The overall biggest annual bonus went to Mark Houser, chief executive officer of University Lands, which manages 2.1 million acres in West Texas. Houser, who makes more than $1.5 million, is getting a $841,500 bonus under a special incentive program. The office in fiscal year 2016 posted $60 million in incremental royalty and easement returns "above and beyond" usual amounts, UT system officials said.

Besides Houser, the UT system's top 10 executive administrators declined their bonuses, a spokeswoman said. With the system facing possible layoffs, they said they hoped forgoing the pay would save jobs.

All told, the presidents of UT's six medical institutions received a total of $841,000 in incentive pay. Five university presidents received $315,000.

UT System presidents and executive officers with two exceptions do not have employement contracts, serving instead at the pleasure of the chancellor and board of regents. McRaven, who is not part of the incentive pay program, and Houser have contracts.