Executives' Compensation at Private Institutions
Compensation of Presidents of Private Institutions
This table shows the compensation received by the chief executives at each of 419 private colleges.
The figures, unless otherwise noted, are for 2007-8, the most recent fiscal year available. The Chronicle compiled the information from the Form 990 that each institution filed with the Internal Revenue Service. According to IRS regulations, tax-exempt entities must release a copy of the form to those who request it. Nonprofit organizations, including colleges, are required to list, among other financial data, the pay and benefits of their officers, directors, trustees, and key employees.
The Chronicle’s survey for 2007-8 included only those private institutions classified in 2005 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as Research Universities (very high research activity), Research Universities (high research activity), Doctoral/Research Universities, Master’s Colleges and Universities (large, medium, and small), and Baccalaureate Colleges-Arts & Sciences.
Among institutions in those categories, the survey for 2007-8 included those that reported at least $50-million in expenditures on their Forms 990. This is a change from the threshold of $20-million used by The Chronicle in the 2006-7 survey. The Chronicle also included a few institutions in the 2007-8 survey whose expenditures were below that year’s threshold but whose chief executives were among the highest paid in both 2006-7 and 2007-8.
In some cases, more than one president served at an institution during 2007-8. If a chief executive stepped down before the end of this period and a full-time replacement assumed the role during 2007-8, only the new executive was included in the survey. But if the chief executive was replaced by an interim leader, only the departing executive was included. Interim chiefs were included in the survey only if they served throughout 2007-8.
The database omits colleges that claim religious exemptions from filing Form 990: Baptist Bible College and Graduate School, Brigham Young University, Concordia College at Moorhead, Harding University, Houghton College, Indiana Wesleyan University, Saint John’s University (Minn.), Southern Wesleyan University, and Wisconsin Lutheran College.
A key to the listings:
- Expenditures: Taken from Line 17 of Form 990, it shows the college’s total expenses in the fiscal year shown.
- Revenue: Taken from Line 12 of Form 990, it shows total revenue in that fiscal year.
- Enrollment: The number of full-time-equivalent students in the fall of 2007, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.
- Pay: Defined as all salaries, fees, bonuses, severance payments, and deferred compensation that each person received. (The Form 990 calls this overall category “compensation.”) For 2007-8, colleges were not required to report base salary, although some did so voluntarily. Colleges are required to have included in prior years’ filings, in a separate column about benefits, the amounts for deferred compensation allocated to be paid in later years. Deferred compensation is often accrued over many years and then paid as a lump sum in one year.
- Benefits: Includes health and pension plans. Colleges are also required to include deferred compensation that was allocated in that year for payment in a future year.
- Expense compensation: For college presidents, this includes fringe benefits that the IRS requires those leaders to count as income, including the fair-market value of cars and houses supplied by the college for personal use; club memberships; flights on college-owned aircraft; supplemental life insurance; and perquisites for children and spouses, like payments for tuition or travel.
- Total compensation: The sum of pay and benefits. Expense pay is not included, because of inconsistencies in how individual institutions account for it. For instance, some institutions include the fair-market value of what it would cost to rent the house that the president lives in. But many colleges and universities have interpreted the IRS guidelines to mean that they do not have to report the rental value if they state on the federal tax form that the president is required to live in the house as a condition of his or her employment.
- Asterisk: Indicates that the person is no longer the president of the institution.
In general, the information appears here as it was reported on Form 990. The titles of some people, such as that of interim president, may have changed since the forms were filed.
The Chronicle obtained the Forms 990 from the colleges directly or from GuideStar, an organization that posts the documents online.
—Compiled by Jeffrey Brainard, Marisa López-Rivera, and Joan Waynick
DEFINITIONS OF 2005 CARNEGIE CLASSIFICATIONS
Institutions are included in The Chronicle's survey according to their classifications in 2005 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The classifications were based on degree data from 2003-2004.
Research Universities
Included among these institutions are those that award at least 20 doctoral degrees per year (excluding doctoral-level degrees that allow recipients to enter professional practice, such as the J.D. or M.D.). Research institutions, which are differentiated based on an explicit measure of their amount of research activity, are divided into three categories: Research universities (very high research activity); Research universities (high research activity); and Doctoral/Research universities.
Master's colleges and universities
These institutions award at least 50 master's degrees per year, but fewer than 20 doctoral degrees, or none at all.
Baccalaureate colleges-Arts & Sciences
Among institutions where bachelor's degrees represent at least half of all undergraduate degrees, those with at least half of bachelor's-degree majors in arts and sciences are included in the "Arts & Sciences" group.
Special-focus institutions
These institutions award at least 75 percent of their undergraduate or graduate degrees in a single field or set of related fields. The survey covers five of nine special-focus categories: schools of art, music, and design; schools of business and management; schools of engineering; schools of law; and medical schools and medical centers.
DEFINITIONS OF 2000 CARNEGIE CLASSIFICATIONS
Institutions are included in The Chronicle's survey based on their classification in 2000 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The classifications were based on degree data from 1995-96 through 1997-98.
DOCTORAL/RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES -- EXTENSIVE AND INTENSIVE
These institutions offer a wide range of baccalaureate programs and are committed to graduate education through the doctorate. Extensive institutions award 50 or more doctoral degrees per year across at least 15 disciplines. Intensive institutions award at least 10 doctoral degrees per year across three or more disciplines, or at least 20 doctoral degrees per year over all.
MASTER'S COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES I AND II
These institutions offer a wide range of baccalaureate programs and are committed to graduate education through the master's degree. Master's I institutions award 40 or more master's degrees annually across three or more disciplines. Master's II institutions award 20 or more master's degrees annually in one or more disciplines.
BACCALAUREATE COLLEGES -- LIBERAL ARTS
These institutions are primarily undergraduate colleges with major emphasis on baccalaureate-degree programs. They award at least half of their baccalaureate degrees in the liberal arts.
SPECIALIZED INSTITUTIONS
These institutions offer degrees ranging from the bachelor's to the doctorate, and typically award a majority of degrees in a single field. The list includes only institutions that are listed as separate campuses in the Higher Education Directory.
SCHOOLS OF ART, MUSIC, AND DESIGN
These institutions award most of their bachelor's or graduate degrees in art, music, design, architecture, or some combination of such fields.
SCHOOLS OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
These institutions award most of their bachelor's or graduate degrees in business or business-related programs.
SCHOOLS OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
These institutions award most of their bachelor's or graduate degrees in technical fields of study.
SCHOOLS OF LAW
These institutions award most of their degrees in law.
MEDICAL SCHOOLS AND MEDICAL CENTERS
These institutions award most of their professional degrees in medicine. In some instances, they include other health professions programs, such as dentistry, pharmacy, or nursing.
TEACHERS COLLEGES
These institutions award most of their bachelor's or graduate degrees in education or education-related fields.
DEFINITIONS OF 1994 CARNEGIE CLASSIFICATIONS
Institutions are included in The Chronicle's survey based on their former classification by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, which was in effect in the year colleges reported the information on their tax documents. A new classification system was announced in 2000. Under the former system, the foundation classified institutions in 1994, based on degree data for 1988-89, 1989-90, and 1990-91 and on the federal support they received in fiscal 1989, 1990, and 1991.
RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES
These institutions offer a full range of baccalaureate programs, are committed to graduate education through the doctorate, and give high priority to research. They award 50 or more doctoral degrees each year. In addition, they receive at least $15.5-million a year in federal support.
DOCTORAL UNIVERSITIES
These institutions offer a full range of baccalaureate programs and have a commitment to graduate education through the doctorate. They award at least 10 doctoral degrees a year -- in three or more disciplines -- or 20 or more doctoral degrees in one or more disciplines.
MASTER'S (COMPREHENSIVE) UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES
These institutions offer a full range of baccalaureate programs and are committed to graduate education through the master's degree. They award 20 or more master's degrees annually in one or more disciplines.
BACCALAUREATE (LIBERAL ARTS) COLLEGES I
These institutions are primarily undergraduate colleges with major emphasis on baccalaureate-degree programs. They are selective in admissions and award 40 percent or more of their baccalaureate degrees in the liberal arts. Selectivity was determined by these criteria: entrance-examination scores for first-year students in fall 1992 (the SAT values used were ranges incorporating the 25th and 75th percentile scores; the Enhanced ACT scores used similar ranges); and the percentage of fall 1992 first-year students who ranked in the top quarter and top half of their classes.
ASSOCIATIONS
These higher-education associations are members of the Washington Higher Education Secretariat, which is coordinated by the American Council on Education and brings together organizations that represent different sectors and functions of the postsecondary institutions. Also included is the Career College Association, a group that represents for-profit colleges, but is not a member of the secretariat.
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