The Executive Committee of the UW System Board of Regents approved a salary increase for top UW system administrators Monday, bringing payment levels closer to other state school systems comparable in size.
The 3.2 percent average increase in salary levels for system chancellors, vice chancellors and senior officers of the UW System, including System President Katharine Lyall, UW Madison Chancellor John Wiley and UW Madison Provost Peter Spear, reflect an overall increase in salaries for faculty and staff.
Five administrators — Lyall, UW System Senior Vice President David Olien, UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Nancy Zimpher, UW-Eau Claire Chancellor Donald Mash and UW-Stout Chancellor Charles Sorensen — were granted major increases.
Lyall will be paid $299,000 for the 2001-02 year, up from the $207,809 she currently receives.
This figure was determined by a national salary survey of schools nationwide by the Board of Regents, said Kevin Boatright, Associate Vice President of UW System Communications.
“The decision was to bring Lyall from something that was off the charts low to something that was at least approaching the median,” Boatright said.
Comparative data shows Lyall’s salary, while still slightly less, somewhat reflects the current salaries of other multi-campus system presidents.
The head of the University of California System is paid $349,100 while the head of the University of North Carolina System is paid $299,860.
In August, policy in the state’s biennial budget gave the Board of Regents more management flexibility to enact salary increases based on the data they collected during their national survey. Last spring this data was used to create a maximum/minimum salary level chart.
These numbers were set to help the UW System attract and retain top executive talent.
Lyall’s new salary is slightly more than the midpoint level set by the regents.
Wiley saw a less significant increase in his salary but was also set close to the midpoint level. Wiley will be paid $298,250 next year, compared to the $289,000 he is paid presently.
The chief CEO of the University of Minnesota is paid $335,000, and the chief CEO of the University of Michigan is paid $326,550. Wiley will make approximately the same amount as the chief CEO of UC-Berkeley.
Even this, however, represents a large increase over what the UW-Madison chancellor has been paid in the past. Wiley’s predecessor, David Ward, was paid $193,000. This number was increased when Ward stepped down and the school had to recruit a new chancellor.
“When we conducted a nationwide search for a new chancellor, we recognized it would not be possible to have the kind of person we were looking for at the same salary,” Boatright said.
Wiley’s salary also includes payment by the UW Foundation for jobs he tends to outside of his duties as chancellor, such as fundraising efforts.
Spear will be paid $220,000.
UW Board of Regents President Jay Smith said these salaries will not affect other budgetary concerns the school, system and state may be facing.
“There will be no increase in tuition or tax dollars to provide these salaries,” Smith said.
Instead, Boatright said, the money will come from the already-existing pay-plan dollars and small reallocations of money from the base budget.
