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N.D. College presidents: What are they worth?

Sep 19, 2007 - 04:03:26 CDT

Searches are under way for new presidents to serve three of the 11 member colleges and universities of the North Dakota higher education system.

The highest profile institution seeking a new leader is the University of North Dakota, following the announcement of Charles Kupchella's planned retirement.

The Board of Higher Education, meeting Thursday, will have to wrestle with the question of whether the salary packages of all 11 institutions are competitive in today's higher ed executive job market.

A survey compiled by a consultant indicates that, for the most part, they are not, suggesting the base salary of the UND president trails the average salary of the leaders of similar institutions by almost 60 percent. At North Dakota State University, the amount paid to President Joseph Chapman is about 48 percent behind average, according to the consultant.

That's not going to be adequate to attract solid candidates as the incumbent presidents retire or take positions elsewhere. The Board of Higher Education will have to take a collective deep breath and decide how much the state can afford to pay and stay in the running for academic executives. That's especially the case now that UND has a search committee up and running. Committees also are working to find new presidents for Dickinson State University and Lake Region State College.

To the great majority of us, the $212,000 figure paid to Kupchella and Chapman sounds like a huge pile of money, and it is. Moreover, we learn that the university foundations at the two largest schools sweeten the pot - the foundation at Grand Forks adding $50,000 a year in deferred payments, its counterpart in Fargo donating $100,000 annually in deferred payments to Chapman.

Not to be ignored are the vehicle and entertainment allowances and free housing.

A comparison is hard to make between peer institutions and what they pay their leaders. It often sets apples beside pineapples - UND lists among its peer schools the University of Hawaii at Manoa. You can bet the cost of living is substantially more there than in Grand Forks, so a UND president wouldn't expect as much. Likewise with another peer, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. That's a high rent neighborhood these days.

It's all about being realistic. University presidents now are executives and fundraisers. They're not expected to be scholars of international reputation, but they're more than figureheads. They chase down grants and attend to the priming of the alumni pump, keeping that financial flow strong.

The Board of Higher Education has challenges to face: Whether to restructure the contracts of chancellor and presidents to be for a three-year fixed term and whether to require the university foundations to seek approval from the board before making supplemental payments to presidents.

Not many of the state schools manage to have foundations that can boost presidential pay. It's the responsibility of the state system to ensure salaries are adequate and fair, including a realistic definition.

News > Opinion

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Comments

bd wrote on Sep 20, 2007 7:12 PM:

" Everyone knows the president of a school does little and everyone who works under them does alot. They are overpaid as it is. How about paying the school teachers what they are worth instead of overinflating the top guys salary. This reminds me of all the large company CEO's "

BornInEastND wrote on Sep 20, 2007 1:51 PM:

" Why stop with the President? Is University president greater than the sum a University's staff and faculty? Should the Board be looking at the pay of teachers, librarians, custodians, etc., as well? I'm fairly certain North Dakota education lags in all salary levels. "

David wrote on Sep 20, 2007 12:21 PM:

" Instead of looking at high-cost areas like Hawaii and Chapel Hill, we should be looking closer to home, such as Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota and Minnesota. "

TheJake77 wrote on Sep 19, 2007 9:09 PM:

" There are 11 state college presidents who NEED a raise?? Maybe the university system board should look at reducing the number of presidents and look to other cost saving measures to keep tuition costs down. Maybe the schools with enrollments of less than 2,000 students should not have a college president. That would eliminate some waste in the university system wouldn't it? The only reason tuition was held to a 5% increase this year was because the legislature forced the issue. To me there is way too much duplication in North Dakota. Tuition is high enough. There needs to be some measures taken to reduce the cost of higher education in North Dakota. "

I Want a Raise Too wrote on Sep 19, 2007 6:43 PM:

" The return to North Dakota job fairs that are trying to lure former North Dakotans back for $30,000 had better pick up the pace to pay for these higher education salaries "

to 49 percent... wrote on Sep 19, 2007 3:15 PM:

" College tuition varies according to your state of residence. ND residency is obviously cheapest, being subsidized by the taxpayers. Surrounding states that we have reciprocity agreements with are also cheaper, and ND students get cheaper rates there. (Although neither is as low as in-state tuition) Out of state pay more then the cost (depending on the program) and help subsidize other lower tuition students. If anyone is interested, here are the rates... In state is $6k per year, out of state is $15k per year. ( http://www.und.edu/dept/busoff/html/tuitionrates.htm ) "

49 percent wrote on Sep 19, 2007 2:22 PM:

" I read a story about a month ago that said at NDSU, 49 percent of the students are from Minnesota and 43 percent are from North Dakota, with the remainder from other states. I suspect at UND they would have similar percentages ,so maybe these two schools should be part of the Minnesota university system. How much of the cost of college education does tuition cover? The taxpayer in North Dakota has to pick up the remainder or whatever tuition does not cover, so we, the taxpayers, are paying alot to educate Minnesota students. "

Carroll wrote on Sep 19, 2007 1:50 PM:

" With all the money our education system purports to need all the time, maybe they should set up there own central banking system, much like the Bank of ND. Then we could just have our paychecks sent there for them to spend as needed. When their done, out of the goodness of their hearts, they could send each of us some money to live on if there is any left of course. "

Joe14 wrote on Sep 19, 2007 1:28 PM:

" Why do we look to national averages when it comes to paying the "top" people in North Dakota, but we look to regional or in-state averages when it comes to paying the rest of the workforce? It reminds me of a statement in that great old book Aminal Farm; "Some people are more equal than other people." "

Hmmm wrote on Sep 19, 2007 8:29 AM:

" If you ask me, earning over $200K a year should be plenty. Why in the world are they giving them entertainment and a car allowance plus free housing. How pathetic. No wonder our tuition is so high. I make $39K a year at my job and I pay for my own house, car and any extra's. If I can do it, they definately can. What a joke. "

Edward wrote on Sep 19, 2007 8:28 AM:

" Being a University president is not that difficult. There are many people in North Dakota that could do it for $100,000 a year. And, do a good job. But, Nooooo! They did not come up through the system. "

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