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Low salary could hinder search
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by Pratha Muthiah
Friday, January 25, 2008
The salaries of University of Wisconsin leaders may not be enough to draw new chancellors for the three UW schools currently in the search process, according to UW System officials.
“Right now, there’s a lack of competitive salaries,” UW System spokesperson Dave Giroux said.
Each university is placed in a specific “peer group” that is comparable to other schools in the group. These schools have similar degree programs, and often are alike in prestige. For example, comprehensive universities, which only offer bachelor’s and master’s degrees, are grouped together, while doctoral universities are placed in separate groups.
Each individual salary is set by the Board of Regents and must fall within a previously established range of salaries determined by the specific peer level of the university in question.
At UW-Madison, the salary is then met by combining both public and private funds. Overall, it has been a general trend for UW faculty to earn less than their counterparts at other universities.
“Professors at UW-Madison, UW-Parkside or UW-Whitewater, on average, make less than their peers at other main universities,” Giroux said. “The same is true with the executive positions.”
For example, while UW-Parkside Chancellor John Keating makes $197,000, the average chancellor in his peer group makes about $217,000. Chancellor John Wiley of UW-Madison makes $341,495 a year, while Purdue University’s top executive, Martin Jischke, made $880,950 annually before stepping down in 2007.
The concern is whether or not UW schools offer salaries that are competitive enough to draw well-qualified applicants to fill the chancellor vacancies.
“The discussion has now shifted to whether or not we have the resources and flexibility to go after the best talent in higher education to lead this campus and the other two campuses,” Giroux said. “We need to come to grips with a very serious and growing challenge with recruiting and retaining the best talent — whether that’s in the classroom, the laboratory, or the chancellor’s office.”
Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison, believes the salary offered by the university will play an important role in the chancellor search, but that it should not be anyone’s main concern.
“I think, as we are looking for a new chancellor, it is important that we reevaluate how much we offer,” Black said. “However, we don’t want a chancellor whose main concern is his compensation.”
Giroux believes that the university is willing to offer more money, but it does not have the flexibility to do so.
“It’s not a matter of willingness, it’s a matter of constraint,” Giroux said. “We are constrained in the amount of money we can offer people by state statute.”
Former Board of Regents President David Walsh said he agrees salary will play a role in the interest shown for the position, but added UW-Madison has many other things to offer that will draw candidates in.
“We have a great institution,” Walsh said. “[UW-Madison] is prestigious, is popular with students and is a leading university in merit-based research. We shouldn’t discount all the great things about this school.”
Anonymous (January 27, 2008 @ 12:43am):
Chanceller interested in making money can't do justice to this great university with values and traditions.Remuneration should be at reasonable level only not so tempting.Persons less interested in money more service oriented,having more democratic and socialistic views should be considered.
Anonymous (February 2, 2008 @ 3:35pm):
A higher chancellor salary is acceptable, but
only if the new chancellor cleans up the mess
left behind by John Wiley. He (Wiley) was
not worth the $340,000 salary he was paid.
Anonymous (February 5, 2008 @ 3:22pm):
I agree. Wiley really blew it. The new
chancellor must be more responsive to out-
side criticism and not try to bury all the
problems the way Wiley did.
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