Who earned the most?

Presidents of private colleges and universities in California were paid handsomely in 1995-96, yet none of them commanded as much as USC football coach John Robinson’s compensation package of $505,016. Nor did they earn as much as the leaders of many Eastern schools--or even some professors, particularly in medical schools--according to a nationwide survey of federal tax returns by The Chronicle of Higher Education. Here are the cash compensation and benefits for the top 10 private college presidents in the nation and for some of California’s higher education leaders.

College President: Pay and Benefits

John A. Curry (Northeastern University): $995,358***

Joe B. Wyatt (Vanderbilt University): $479,072

Judith S. Rodin (University of Pennsylvania): $453,029

Thomas K. Hearn (Wake Forest University): $447,748

L. Jay Oliva (New York University): $426,612

Richard C. Levin (Yale University): $424,295

Peter Diamandopoulos (Adelphi University): $421,070****

James M. Shuart (Hofstra University): $411,922

George Rupp (Columbia University): $403,457

James O. Freedman (Dartmouth College): $397,026

****

College Presidents in California

Gerhard Casper (Stanford): $378,713

Thomas E. Everhart (Caltech): $377,841

Steven B. Sample (USC): $356,188

John B. Slaughter (Occidental): $235,930

Joseph R. Fink (Dominican College of San Rafael): $233,198

Peter W. Stanley (Pomona College): $230,993

Alice B. Hayes (University of San Diego): $229,926*

Paul E. Sago (Woodbury University): $223,088

John D. Maguire (Claremont Graduate School): $211,936

Jack L. Stark (Claremont McKenna College): $211,580

Marilyn Chapin Massey (Pitzer College): $210,026

Janet L. Holmgren (Mills College): $202,614

Jerry C. Lee (National University): $199,375

Thomas M. Stauffer (Golden Gate University): $198,630

James R. Appleton (University of Redlands): $191,810

James L. Ash Jr. (Whittier College): $180,317

Brother Mel Anderson (Saint Mary’s College of California): $176,443**

James L. Doti (Chapman University): $175,641

Donald V. DeRosa (University of the Pacific): $175,072

Garry D. Hays (United States International): $174,016

Richard E. Felix (Azusa Pacific): $172,820

Luther S. Luedtke (California Lutheran): $169,553

Clyde Cook (Biola University): $161,308

Jim L. Bond (Point Loma Nazarene College): $150,393

Rabbi Robert Wexler (University of Judaism): $143,629

Stephen C. Morgan (University of La Verne): $138,144

Margaret A. Huber (College of Notre Dame): $135,514

B. Lyn Behrens (Loma Linda): $124,493

David K. Winter (Westmont College): $115,763

Sister Karen Kennelly (Mount Saint Mary’s College): $111,155

Mary Alice Muellerleile (Holy Names College): $101,100

Richard Kriegbaum (Fresno Pacific College): $81,887

E. Leroy Lawson (Pacific Christian College): $74,543

Thomas E. Dillon (Thomas Aquinas College): $76,648

Lawrence T. Geraty (La Sierra University): $57,011

Notes:

Pepperdine University declines to file a 990 tax return, claiming a ‘religious exemption as an organization controlled by the Churches of Christ.

The leaders of Jesuit-run schools, such as University of San Francisco, Santa Clara University and Loyola Marymount, often report no compensation because they donate their salaries to the Church in accordance to their vow of poverty.

Some of the presidents listed are no longer at their respective colleges. For example, Curry, whose 1995-96 compensation included a departure package, was replaced at Northeastern by Richard M. Freeland. Everhart of Caltech has been replaced by David Baltimore, and Diamandopoulos was fired in February after the New York State Board of Regents ruled his pay and benefits were excessive

* 1995-96 pay was for a partial year

** Pay represents contributed services from the Order of the Brothers of the Christian Schools

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education