President Tilghman's total compensation rose modestly in 2004-05 as the number of university presidents whose salaries topped $500,000 nearly doubled, according to an annual survey released yesterday by The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Tilghman's raise — from $564,619 to $595,982 — outpaced inflation but left her among the lowest paid Ivy League presidents. The median pay for a president of a research university was $497,046.
While Tilghman's compensation increased by about 5.5 percent during the period, the Consumer Price Index, an inflation gauge tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, rose 3.4 percent in 2005. She received a similar raise of around six percent the year before, though she received a raise of nearly 10 percent before that.
Despite the increased pay, Tilghman was the second-lowest compensated president in the Ivy League, above only Dartmouth's James Wright at $479,233. The highest compensated Ivy League president who remained with the institution beyond the most recent fiscal year was Yale's Richard Levin, who made $778,935. Levin received a raise of around nine percent from the previous fiscal year.
Cornell's president Jeffrey Lehman made $1,004,034, which was higher than his usual annual salary because he received additional compensation upon stepping down.
"As a policy, the University does not comment on personnel issues, and elements of compensation fall within that category," University spokeswoman Cass Cliatt '96 said in an email.
The salary of Princeton's president is determined by a compensation committee composed of members of the University Board of Trustees.
"The compensation committee reviews [the president's] performance and her salary annually, and among other things, looks at salaries of people in comparable positions," Stephen Oxman '67, chair of the executive committee of the Board of Trustees, told The Daily Princetonian last year. "Salary is determined based on performance and performance has a lot of different dimensions, and we try to look at all of them as fairly as possible." He was unavailable for comment for this story.
Compensation for both public and private universities presidents has risen markedly in recent years. From 2004-05, 70 presidents of private universities earned more than $500,000, as compared to 50 the previous year and 42 the year before that. At public universities, the number of presidents making that amount increased to 42 from 23.
E. Gordon Gee of Vanderbilt University was the only continuing president to earn more than a $1 million — he was paid $1,171,211. The highest paid continuing public university president was David Roselle of the University of Delaware, who made $979,571.
Andrew Golden, president of the Princeton University Investment Company, remains the highest paid University figure. In 2004, he earned $1,050,080 after benefits. Full professors at Princeton, who earn an average annual salary of $145,600, are the third highest paid in the country and the second highest paid in the Ivy League.
In 2000, the 'Prince' reported that the salary of Tilghman's predecessor, Harold Shapiro, lagged behind those of more recently appointed Ivy League presidents despite his eight years of experience as president of the University of Michigan.
The Chronicle of Higher Education compiled the statistics from Internal Revenue Service data on tax-exempt organizations, which is available to the public.
Read More
Remembering Dorothea von Moltke, Labyrinth co-founder and local community builder
Lucia BrownDorothea von Moltke, widely considered the heart of Labyrinth Books, was remembered by friends and loved ones for her passions for language, literature, and local activism.
Dorothea von Moltke, widely considered the heart of Labyrinth Books, was remembered by friends and loved ones for her passions for language, literature, and local activism.
Cloister Inn to pause operations for the next 2–3 years, citing “hefty renovations”
Justus WilhoitCloister Inn, one of Princeton’s eating clubs, will pause operations for the next two to three years, due to “hefty renovations” to the club’s house.
Cloister Inn, one of Princeton’s eating clubs, will pause operations for the next two to three years, due to “hefty renovations” to the club’s house.
Duo text and call authentication methods disabled amid rise in phishing
Ben GoldstonDuo, the University’s authentication provider, has disabled phone and text authentication methods beginning from June 11 in response to rising phishing attacks.
Duo, the University’s authentication provider, has disabled phone and text authentication methods beginning from June 11 in response to rising phishing attacks.