By TIM CARPENTER
Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — The Kansas Board of Regents boosted salaries of state university presidents and the chancellor an average of 6.4%, despite the Legislature’s decision to provide no more than 2.5% raises to campus employees lagging the farthest behind market rates.
The Legislature earmarked $36.2 million to address state employee pay disparities in the new fiscal year starting July 1. These targeted increases would bring state workers up to 10% below market rate or enact raises of 2.5%, whichever was greater.
The Board of Regents universities received state funding equivalent to a 2.5% merit pool. Lawmakers left it to university administrators to fill other compensation gaps, but the reality was some campus employees won’t get a raise.
The Board of Regents awarded University of Kansas Chancellor Doug Girod a 12% surge of $105,000 to place his total compensation from state government and private endowment sources at $1 million per year.
After meeting in executive session, the Board of Regents also voted Friday without dissent to authorize a 7% increase for Fort Hays State University President Tisa Mason to take her annual package to $355,000. Kansas State University President Richard Linton, who received a 10.2% raise last year, was provided a 5% increase this year to elevate his compensation to $750,000.
The low end of the scale were 4% adjustments for Wichita State University President Rick Muma and Emporia State University President Ken Hush. Muma’s annual compensation climbed to $635,000, while Hush’s was bumped to $370,000. The Board of Regents recently hired a new president for Pittsburg State University, so no raise was adopted for PSU.
“Some of the most important actions we take concern our CEOs,” said Carl Ice, chairman of the Board of Regents. “Leaders matter. Leaders set a vision — visions that are compelling.”
Becky Pottebaum, director of finance and administration with the Board of Regents, said the annual review of compensation for university leaders was designed to make certain salaries were based on performance and competitive with peer institutions.
The latest salary adjustments reflected the Board of Regents’ adoption of new principles regarding CEO compensation.
“Strong leadership is essential to the continued success of our institutions and the broader mission of advancing higher education in Kansas,” she said.
For more than six months, state university leaders expressed alarm about converging financial challenges that included general operational inflation, softness in student enrollment, loss of federal research funding and new financial obligations to college athletes.
In response, the Board of Regents approved tuition increases averaging 3.9% for in-state undergraduate university students. University administrators have moved to impose cost-cutting measures to deal with anticipated budget deficits.
Girod said the “challenges largely are due to external factors such as disruptions to federal funding, the lack of new state funding, rising costs associated with facilities construction and operations, and the projected nationwide decline in college enrollment.”
He said without decisive action KU’s Lawrence campus could wind up with a $4 million shortfall by the end of the fiscal year.
“The reality is higher education is at a crossroads, and universities must develop new financial models for the new world we are in,” Girod said.