Presidential Pay
Total cost of employment of Ohio's public university presidents:
Bowling Green State University $412,500
Cleveland State University $516,300
Kent State University $684,684
Miami University $497,400
Ohio State University $1,818,911
Ohio University $473,344
University of Akron $557,982
University of Cincinnati $490,415
University of Toledo $453,406
Wright State University $447,653
Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education
FAIRBORN — Wright State University President David Hopkins remains one of the lowest-paid public university leaders in Ohio with a salary and benefits package totaling $447,653.
The salaries of all public university presidents were reported Sunday by the Chronicle of Higher Education, a trade publication, which releases the data every year. The information released Sunday combines salary, bonuses, car and housing allowances, deferred compensation, retirement and other benefits for the “total cost of employment” during the 2009-2010 school year.
Hopkins total cost is only higher than Carol A. Cartwright, Bowling Green State University president, who earned $412,500. University of Cincinnati President Gregory Williams earned $490,415 total, but had a base of $273,333, which was lower than Hopkins base salary of $344,448.
Miami University David Hodge earned $497,400 when money for housing, a car, bonuses and other costs were included. Roderick J. McDavis, Ohio University president, received a package worth $473,344.
E. Gordon Gee, the Ohio State University president, remained the nation’s highest paid university leader with $1.8 million in total cost of employment to OSU and the state, the report found. Gee’s pay is twice that of the next highest paid president in the country — University of Washington’s Mark Emmert.
Gee has said in prior interviews he has never felt the need to defend his salary and he points to OSU’s successes. The university’s Board of Trustees apparently agrees.
Last December it approved a 2 percent increase of his base pay of $802,125 and a $296,786 bonus. Gee donated the bonus, paid through private donations, to a scholarship fund and other university programs.
The board cited improved retention and graduation rates, a superior freshman class, increase in research funding and fiscal management resulting in nearly $100 million in annual cost savings across the university.
The total compensation for presidents at the nine other Ohio public colleges included in the survey is generally near the national median of $375,442, which includes base pay, bonuses and deferred compensation paid.
Compensation for community-college presidents is no longer compiled because it is too labor-intensive to gather the information, Chronicle editor Jeffrey Selingo said. In addition, community-college presidents generally earn less than their four-year counterparts and there was less concern about their pay, Selingo said.
Sinclair Community College and Central State University were not included in the survey. In 2009-2010 Steven Johnson, Sinclair president, made $298,269 and in 2008-2009 CSU’s John W. Garland made $255,948.
The Chronicle sought information from 185 public research institutions across the country with an enrollment of 10,000 or more. Fifty-nine chief executives earned more than $500,000.
Information on the survey and results is available at http://chronicle.com/presidentialpay.
Karen Farkas with The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer contributed to this report.
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