More Private College Presidents Earning More than $1 Million

The number of private college presidents earning more than $1 million a year jumped this year even as students struggle to pay increasing tuition fees, according to a report by The Chronicle on Higher Education.

At private college, a record 42 presidents made $1 million-plus in 2011, according to the report released Sunday. That was up from 36 the year before.

Only four public school presidents topped $1 million in pay and compensation.

University of Chicago President Robert Zimmer topped the private school list at $3.4 million, most of which was deferred compensation – tax deferred income set aside to be paid at a later time.

Median compensation for private school presidents was $410,523, up from 3.2 percent from 2010.

The highest paid public university president was Graham Spanier, formerly of Pennsylvania State University. Spanier earned $2.9 million in 2011.

Median pay for public school presidents was $441,392.

The top 10 paid private college presidents:

1. Robert J. Zimmer, University of Chicago, $3,358,723
2. Joseph E. Aoun, Northeastern University, $3,121,864
3. Dennis J. Murray, Marist College, $2,688,148
4. Lee C. Bollinger, Columbia University, $2,327,344
5. Lawrence S. Bacow, Tufts University, $2,223,752
6. Amy Gutmann, University of Pennsylvania, $2,091,764
7. Anthony J. Catanese, Florida Institute of Technology, $1,884,008
8. Esther L. Barazzone, Chatham University, $1,812,132
9. Shirley Ann Jackson, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, $1,752,642
10. Richard C. Levin, Yale University, $1,652,543

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