Compensation of Presidents of Private Institutions

This database shows the compensation received by the chief executives at each of 599 private colleges.

The figures, unless otherwise noted, are for 2006-7, 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 2006-7 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. The survey included colleges that reported at least $20-million in expenditures.

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.

The Chronicle was not able to include Liberty University and Tougaloo College for 2006-7 because they provided incomplete information or failed to provide their IRS Form 990, a public document, after repeated requests.

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.

• Pay: Defined as all salaries, fees, bonuses, severance payments, and deferred compensation that each person received. (The Form 990 calls this overall category "compensation.") 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 is often paid as a lump sum in one year.

• Benefits: Includes health and pension plans. Colleges also are required to include deferred compensation that was allocated in that 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.

• Two or more presidents listed: Each served part of the year.

In general, the information appears here as it was reported on Form 990. The Chronicle notes exceptional circumstances, like a partial-year payment or a severance package. The titles of some people, such as that of interim president, may have changed since the forms were filed.

—Jeffrey Brainard, with additional reporting by Paul Fain, Marisa López-Rivera, Eugene McCormack, Caitlin Moran, Kate Moser, and Joan Waynick.

Compensation of Presidents of Higher-Education Associations

This database shows the compensation received by the chief executives of 32 major higher-education associations that are members of the Washington Higher Education Secretariat. The secretariat is coordinated by the American Council on Education and brings together organizations that represent sectors and functions of postsecondary institutions. Also included is the compensation received by the chief executive of the Career College Association, a group that represents for-profit colleges, but which is not a member of the secretariat.

The figures, unless otherwise noted, are for 2005-6, the most recent fiscal year available. The Chronicle compiled the information from the Form 990 that each organization filed with the Internal Revenue Service. The form requires nonprofit organizations to list, among other financial data, the pay and benefits of their officers, directors, trustees, and key employees.

A key to the listings:

• Expenditures: Taken from Line 17 of Form 990, it shows the group's total expenses in the fiscal year shown.
• Revenue: Taken from Line 12 of Form 990, it shows total revenue in that fiscal year.
• Pay: Defined as all salaries, fees, bonuses, and severance payments that each person received.
• Benefits: Includes health and pension plans. Associations are also required to include all forms of deferred compensation that were paid or designated in that year.
• Expense compensation: This includes fringe benefits that the IRS requires officials to count as income, including the fair-market value of cars and houses supplied by the association for personal use; club memberships; supplemental life insurance; and perquisites for children and spouses, like payments for tuition or travel. If an association reported that its leader had received no expense compensation, that category has been omitted from the institution's entry.
• Total compensation: The sum of pay and benefits. Expense compensation is not included, because of inconsistencies in how individual filers of the forms account for it.
• Asterisk: Indicates that the person is no longer chief executive of the association.
• Two or more leaders listed: Each one served part of the year.

In general the information appears here as it was reported on the Form 990. The Chronicle notes exceptional circumstances, like a partial-year payment or a severance package, when the organization did so on its tax form. The titles of some people may have changed after the forms were filed.

—Mary Andom, JJ Hermes, Wail Khalid, Marisa López-Rivera, Eugene McCormack, Matt Petrie, Elizabeth Quill, and Lauren Smith contributed to this report.