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Senior administrators saw only modest salary gains in 2015-16, according to a survey being released today by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources.
The survey found that the median base salary increase this academic year for senior administrators for all institutions was 2.1 percent. Last year that figure was 2.4 percent. (A full report may be ordered from CUPA-HR here.)
The median raises differed by institution type. At private colleges and universities, the median gain was 2.2 percent, while the figure was 2 percent at public institutions. This is a reversal from the previous two years, when public gains outpaced those of privates.
Senior administrators at doctoral institutions also saw a larger median salary increase (2.5 percent) than those at bachelor's institutions (2.3 percent) or master's institutions and community colleges (both 2 percent).
Other findings of the survey:
- The median base salary for a CEO at a single institution ranged from $190,000 at community colleges to $452,370 at research universities.
- The median base salary for a chief academic officer ranged from $132,940 at community colleges to $353,796 at research institutions.
- In many job titles, there is a significant public-private salary gap (with administrators earning more at private institutions). The gap is $50,000 for college and university presidencies.
- In most senior administrator positions, men occupy the overwhelming majority of jobs. The only job title for which women occupy a substantial majority is chief human resources officer, where women hold about 75 percent of positions.
- The highest-paid deans were in medicine, dentistry, law, public health and engineering.
The following table has survey data for many key senior administrative positions.
Median Salary by Institution Type, 2015-16
Research Institutions | Master's | Bacc. | Assoc. | |
CEO-Single Inst/Campus within Syst | $452,370 | $303,125 | $285,000 | $190,000 |
Exec VP/Vice Chancellor | 399,889 | 191,493 | 140,680 | 139,090 |
Chief Acad Affrs Officer/Provost | 353,796 | 196,228 | 166,000 | 132,940 |
Chief Business Officer | 284,622 | 190,064 | 170,320 | 128,687 |
Chief Athletics Admr | 287,951 | 118,970 | 95,880 | 83,540 |
Chief Audit Officer | 150,750 | 92,069 | 99,193 | 104,772 |
Chief Devel/Advanc Officer | 309,000 | 165,036 | 155,194 | 105,850 |
Chief Enroll Mgmt Officer | 195,341 | 146,918 | 134,666 | 107,983 |
Chief External Affrs Officer | 234,000 | 145,260 | 105,000 | 133,834 |
Chief Facilities Officer | 189,728 | 114,729 | 96,823 | 100,428 |
Chief Financial Officer | 268,350 | 152,579 | 150,119 | 123,687 |
Chief HR Officer | 190,230 | 108,684 | 91,235 | 103,307 |
Chief Info/IT Officer | 239,850 | 132,200 | 111,295 | 111,613 |
Chief Instl Plan Officer | 200,000 | 128,200 | 141,500 | 109,873 |
Chief Instl Rsrch Officer | 130,262 | 90,000 | 85,500 | 85,827 |
Chief Investment Officer | 308,259 | 108,444 | 285,000 | * |
Chief Legal Affrs Officer | 243,120 | 160,000 | 170,000 | 155,296 |
Chief Library Officer | 206,717 | 97,977 | 79,149 | 75,547 |
Chief Pub Rel Officer | 198,067 | 105,000 | 97,025 | 86,237 |
Chief Research Officer | 291,116 | 159,516 | 89,230 | 110,740 |
Chief Std Affrs/Std Life Officer | 222,860 | 140,000 | 124,650 | 109,951 |
Dean Arts and Sciences | 252,694 | 143,092 | 121,643 | 98,057 |
Dean Business | 330,000 | 179,280 | 129,902 | 97,360 |
Dean Continuing Ed | 199,874 | 120,000 | 99,383 | 97,865 |
Dean Education | 218,245 | 137,573 | 98,880 | 104,841 |
Dean Engineering | 292,992 | 195,738 | 180,202 | 102,000 |
Dean Fine Arts | 214,058 | 138,413 | 105,000 | 102,235 |
Dean Graduate School | 204,962 | 131,484 | 93,296 | * |
Dean Health-Related Profs | 209,000 | 146,979 | 113,182 | 104,977 |
Dean Honors Prgm | 160,283 | 112,875 | * | * |
Dean Humanities | 243,686 | 141,908 | 96,000 | 101,340 |
Dean Law | 328,750 | 279,313 | * | * |
Dean Library Science | 191,660 | 126,072 | * | 90,934 |
Dean Nursing | 239,700 | 140,000 | 106,287 | 95,545 |
Dean Sciences | 255,000 | 145,648 | 105,550 | 97,000 |
Dean Students (with/w'out fac status) | 136,476 | 97,743 | 85,104 | 92,811 |
Chief Acctg Officer/Controller | 171,585 | 102,065 | 94,996 | 92,694 |
Chief Adm Officer | 244,004 | 144,500 | 153,389 | 88,965 |
Chief Architect for the Inst | 137,421 | 100,000 | 101,906 | 113,313 |
Chief Aux Servs Officer | 146,337 | 94,702 | 93,811 | 85,660 |
Chief Budget Officer | 153,395 | 108,150 | 104,200 | 96,171 |
Chief Purchasing Officer | 118,876 | 81,315 | 71,950 | 77,010 |
Chief Equal Opportunity/AA Officer | 120,000 | 94,153 | 97,441 | 96,751 |
Chief Diversity Officer | 164,530 | 98,157 | 91,350 | 96,593 |
Chief Std Admsns Officer | 126,716 | 90,237 | 82,897 | 74,625 |
Chief Std Financial Aid Officer | 120,000 | 84,145 | 76,000 | 78,857 |
Chief Std Registr/Records Officer | 121,118 | 82,000 | 71,925 | 75,585 |
Chief Techngy Transfer Officer | 174,871 | 88,663 | * | * |
Chief Spnsd Rsrch/Prgms Admr | 132,445 | 92,453 | 88,385 | 93,311 |
Chief Contracts and Grants Admr | 102,999 | 75,696 | 68,850 | 80,498 |
Dep Chief Library Officer | 120,000 | 81,049 | 68,551 | 72,252 |
Dep Chief-Std Affrs | 142,800 | 90,994 | 81,421 | 87,904 |
Dep Chief Rsrch Officer | 190,860 | 95,451 | * | 86,611 |
Dep Provost | 214,242 | 147,187 | 135,000 | 133,121 |
Assoc Provost | 172,405 | 131,803 | 110,022 | 105,000 |
Asst Provost | 133,800 | 105,000 | 96,900 | 100,406 |
Chief of Staff to Sys or Inst CEO | 190,400 | 132,182 | 134,990 | 111,504 |
Dep Chief Financial Officer | 160,000 | 117,264 | 113,050 | 83,853 |
Dep Chief Facil Officer | 122,888 | 88,028 | 78,206 | 78,944 |
Dep Chief HR Officer | 129,350 | 78,084 | 77,235 | 83,250 |
Dep Chief Info/IT Officer | 159,453 | 105,008 | 95,000 | 100,336 |
Dep Chief Athl Officer | 130,000 | 74,578 | 63,109 | 70,799 |
Dep Chief Advanc/Devel Officer | 203,796 | 110,960 | 111,928 | 98,838 |
Dep Chief Budget Officer | 116,390 | 86,997 | 78,000 | 85,860 |
Bursar | 105,157 | 70,571 | 63,518 | 70,218 |
Chief Camp Bookstore Admr | 100,513 | 65,595 | 56,966 | 64,055 |
Chief Camp Continuing Ed Admr | 125,723 | 87,047 | 75,187 | 86,756 |
Chief Camp Distance Ed Admr | 114,409 | 84,645 | 68,071 | 85,680 |
Chief Camp Intl Ed Admr | 125,007 | 85,000 | 70,040 | 84,062 |
Chief Camp Intl Studies Ed Admr | 97,665 | 73,950 | 84,475 | * |
Chief Envrml Hlth and Safety Admr | 120,890 | 82,288 | 78,393 | 76,103 |
Chief Camp Risk Mgmt and Ins Admr | 113,188 | 82,103 | 92,700 | 83,991 |
Chief Camp Sec Admr/Police Chief | 134,330 | 83,000 | 70,608 | 79,938 |
Dep Chief Camp Sec Admr/Asst Pol Chf | 97,665 | 67,773 | 60,355 | 70,167 |
Chief Camp Parking/Transport Admr | 96,594 | 65,577 | 69,149 | * |
Chief Camp Empl Admr | 96,828 | 68,268 | 67,727 | 75,425 |
Chief Camp Payroll Admr | 92,150 | 63,964 | 59,973 | 64,535 |
Chief Camp Benefits Admr | 98,193 | 72,000 | 75,200 | 77,572 |
Chief Camp Employee Rel Admr | 101,358 | 86,433 | 90,632 | 83,073 |
Chief Camp Class and Comp Admr | 100,124 | 77,714 | 84,441 | 85,405 |
Chief Camp HR Info Sys Admr | 109,000 | 73,315 | 73,214 | 85,753 |
Chief Camp Training and Devel Admr | 93,275 | 85,593 | 72,500 | 81,110 |
Chief Camp Food/Dining Servs Admr | 121,154 | 87,587 | 93,520 | 65,236 |
Dep Chief Camp Food/Din Srvs Admr | 85,514 | 69,784 | 71,225 | 56,540 |
Chief Camp Energy and Utilities Admr | 112,850 | 92,773 | 86,275 | 85,511 |
Chief Camp Telecom/Netwkg Admr | 135,540 | 92,731 | 90,079 | 88,728 |
Chief Camp Enterprise Apps Admr | 135,109 | 101,694 | 103,075 | 101,691 |
Chief Camp Acad Comp/Instr Tech Admr | 128,060 | 88,835 | 85,590 | 85,000 |
Chief Camp Admin Comput Admr | 136,806 | 94,760 | 85,536 | 86,970 |
Chief Camp IT Sec Admr | 136,990 | 92,535 | 87,067 | 94,531 |
Chief Camp Std Activities Admr | 86,440 | 61,203 | 52,500 | 64,888 |
Chief Camp Std Ctr Admr | 98,661 | 71,862 | 56,050 | 57,120 |
Chief Camp Greek Life Admr | 66,281 | 51,718 | 47,560 | * |
Chief Camp Acad Advising Admr | 88,500 | 70,061 | 69,700 | 66,890 |
Chief Camp Career Servs Admr | 102,000 | 70,000 | 65,453 | 70,460 |
Chief Camp Std Counseling Ctr Admr | 113,165 | 80,054 | 78,462 | 70,231 |
Chief Camp Std Hlth Ctr-Non-Med Admr | 123,177 | 83,339 | 86,648 | * |
Chief Camp Std Hlth Ctr-Physician Admr | 190,636 | 151,509 | 173,735 | * |
Chief Camp Std Hlth Ctr-Nurse/NP Admr | 96,614 | 79,576 | 63,584 | 73,167 |
Chief Camp Std Housing Admr | 113,000 | 71,250 | 57,691 | 54,324 |
Chief Camp Annual Giving Admr | 91,880 | 69,099 | 67,607 | 67,567 |
Chief Camp Corp/Found Rel Admr | 125,000 | 81,029 | 85,336 | 90,114 |
Chief Camp Planned Giving Admr | 145,230 | 93,320 | 97,648 | * |
Chief Camp Alumni Affrs Admr | 136,680 | 77,127 | 70,193 | 62,998 |
Chief Camp Major Gifts Admr | 152,004 | 91,800 | 100,079 | 72,099 |
Chief Camp Donor Rel Admr | 92,069 | 69,935 | 70,026 | 71,400 |
Chief Camp Advanc Servs Admr | 93,177 | 75,339 | 71,970 | * |
Chief Camp State/Loc Gvt/Legis Liaison | 148,708 | 102,501 | 104,959 | 93,849 |
Chief Camp Marketing Admr | 112,756 | 88,910 | 78,433 | 78,199 |
Chief Camp Pubs Admr | 95,258 | 72,574 | 72,843 | 82,710 |
Chief Camp Study-Abroad Admr | 82,405 | 70,457 | 75,055 | * |
Chief Bus Affrs Officer-Col/Div | 107,700 | 85,960 | 97,016 | 110,482 |
A/A Dean Arts and Sciences | 133,020 | 106,000 | 113,713 | 77,032 |
A/A Dean Business | 191,715 | 126,297 | 106,631 | 79,316 |
A/A Dean Education | 135,595 | 103,280 | 92,247 | 80,777 |
A/A Dean Engineering | 164,340 | 134,773 | * | * |
A/A Dean Graduate Prgms | 124,189 | 97,270 | 90,435 | * |
A/A Dean Health-Related Profs | 142,100 | 112,535 | * | 89,132 |
A/A Dean Nursing | 138,471 | 110,230 | 90,725 | 89,060 |