WAHPETON - The group that oversees North Dakota's university system approved 4 percent salary hikes for all campus presidents and the system's chancellor on Thursday, even as members criticized such across-the-board increases.

Members of the North Dakota Board of Higher Education said it's time to dump flat raises now that salaries for college presidents are within a range that's competitive with other states.

"I'm probably the most unpopular guy in the room when I talk about this," said board member Duaine Espegard, of Grand Forks. "I'm not talking about performance. I'm talking about the management of the system where we have everybody up to a pay range we put them last year."

Many presidents received large increases in the last two years after the board bumped up the pay scale to compete with similar schools throughout the country. The state no longer is in catch-up mode and should base raises on evaluations, board members said.

"If you look at evaluations and it doesn't influence compensation, what's the purpose of the evaluation?" asked board member Michael Haugen, of Fargo. "It needs to be reflected more than just in a discussion on how well you're doing."

The university system's chancellor, William Goetz, who handles the performance evaluations, needs to be more subjective in the future, Espegard said.

Goetz said he would take the board's suggestions seriously, but defended the raises.

"I would have great difficulty going back and making a decision other than what has been made here, based upon looking at each individual president and the leadership and the work they are doing within our university system," Goetz said.

Earlier in the meeting, the board voted to put off a decision on hiring an outside evaluator to review the chancellor and presidents, until it can be reviewed by a committee.

All presidents make six figures. The salary of the state's highest paid president, North Dakota State University's Joseph Chapman, was increased from $411,000 to $424,000. He received nearly a $40,000 boost last year.

Other salaries approved by the board were $312,000 for the University of North Dakota's Robert Kelley; $218,200 for Minot State's David Fuller; $192,000 for Mayville State's Gary Hagen; $182,600 for North Dakota State College of Science's John Richman and Bismarck State College's Larry Skogen; $181,200 for Valley City State's Steve Shirley; $171,600 for Dickinson State's Dick McCallum; and $156,000 for Lake Region State's Mike Bower.

Williston State's Ray Nadolny was just hired at $150,000 a year and won't be eligible for a raise until next year.

Goetz's salary was increased from $200,000 to $208,000 a year. The new contracts start July 1.