Million-dollar college presidents on the rise

Million-dollar college presidents on the rise
By Daniel de Vise
Washington Post Staff Writer
November 15, 2010

George Washington University President Steven Knapp received $985,353 in pay and benefits in 2008, making him the best-paid chief executive at any private college in the Washington area, according to an annual survey of the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Nationwide, 30 chief executives of private colleges made more than $1 million in total pay and benefits in 2008, according to the report, which was released Sunday and was based on a survey of tax documents for 448 colleges.

The million-dollar college president is a recent phenomenon. No president made that much in 2004.

The top earner among private college executives in 2008 was Bernard Lander, founder of Touro College in New York, who died in February after building a network of 31 schools and colleges. Most of his $4.8 million in pay will go to his estate.

Presidents making more than $1 million include Steven Sample at the University of Southern California ($1.9 million), Lee Bollinger at Columbia University ($1.8 million), Richard Levin at Yale ($1.5 million), Nancy Cantor at Syracuse ($1.4 million) and Donna Shalala at the University of Miami ($1.2 million). Sample's term has ended.

In the survey released Sunday, Georgetown President John DeGioia ranked second in pay among leaders in the region, with $911,613 in compensation.

Former Johns Hopkins president William Brody ranked third with $851,155; his term ended last year. American University President Cornelius "Neil" Kerwin ranked fourth with $760,774.

Apart from Brody, six Maryland and Virginia college presidents made more than $500,000: Stevenson University's Kevin Manning ($623,437), Hampden-Sydney College's Walter Bortz III ($597,327), Gallaudet University's Robert Davila ($584,745), Catholic University's Very Rev. David O'Connell ($521,929), Washington and Lee's Kenneth Ruscio ($505,119) and McDaniel College's Joan Develin Coley ($504,776).

Read the full article at:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/14/AR2010111404435.html

Hell, I'd do it for 3/4 the money!

for themselves, I guess.