ASU President Michael Crow was ranked among the 20 highest paid public university presidents in a recent survey, but with his latest raise he should be in the top 10, one member of the Arizona Board of Regents said.
Crow ranked No. 18 for total compensation in The Chronicle of Higher Education annual survey listing the salaries of 150 public university presidents with an attendance rate of more than 10,000 students.
Purdue's Martin C. Jischke topped the list earning just less than $881,000 in 2006-07, followed by University of Delaware's David Roselle, who reported a total compensation of just less than $875,000 from a 2005-06 survey.
Crow's 2006-07 total compensation package of $609,194 was used in the survey.
But Crow's current salary, which went into effect in July, is $720,000, which is just less than $120,000 higher than the figure the Chronicle of Higher Education used from 2006-07.
If Crow's current wage were plugged into the survey, he'd be well into the top 10 of highest paid presidents, said Fred Boice, Arizona Board of Regents president.
The Arizona Board of Regents — the governing body of the three state universities — set Crow's compensation package.
But Phoenix is a growing metropolitan city with a need for a leader to guide the state's largest university as it evolves, so he merits the raise, Boice said.
"It's a unique situation that requires unique talents and abilities to handle that and Michael Crow has that," he said.
Regents voted unanimously this summer to extend Crow's contract to five years and included incentive bonuses, which could equal more than an additional $750,000 over the next five years if he meets his performance goals.
His bonuses are warranted only after his proposed goals are met, Boice said.
"I don't want to pay for your existence, I want to pay for what you do," he said. "Michael (Crow) is a doer and I want to compensate him for what he has done."
Crow is in line to receive a one-time $600,000 bonus if he holds his position for the next five years and $150,000 if he meets his 10-year performance goals.
His plan for ASU aims at producing a financial capital of $3.4 billion and an attendance of 90,000 by 2017.
But even though Crow is being paid to accomplish his visions for the school, he's not always doing things that win over the student's praise, Amber Welch, a fine arts senior said.
"I know that he's made a lot of changes for ASU," Welch said. "But I'm in a sorority and we don't really like him because of the way he's trying to come down on us."
Physics junior Karin Dethoff said she also sees the up and downside of having Crow as a president, but doesn't think anyone should make as much money as he does.
"I think there could be five people who do his job and split up his salary and do a better job," Dethoff said. 'But things are getting done and he's definitely developing the University. It just sucks we're paying for it."
Reach the reporter at Daniel.connor@asu.edu
