If you do good work, you get a raise. Whether a law firm, a nonprofit organization, or a university, any good enterprise operates on such a principle. It’s an assurance upon which every ASU student hopes to someday capitalize when he or she enters the workforce.
Therefore, it’s hard to rationalize criticism of ASU President Michael Crow’s 20 percent raise in base pay when it is based on such an important and necessary premise. He may already earn an exceptional salary, but that does not make him exempt from performance-based rewards.
Students may have gripes about the increase in tuition under his tenure. Some may say he has not properly handled student-professor relationships. Others direct judgement toward the corporate ties and online aspect of a New American University
Controversial as he may be, Crow has undoubtedly transformed this University for the better since taking over in 2002. We’ve garnered recognition as one of the top-100 universities in the world and one of the top-25 public colleges in the U.S. There’s reason for optimism in the future as well: U.S. News and World Report recently ranked ASU as the No. 2 up-and-coming school in the nation.
While there is every indication that Crow has no intention of leaving any time soon, there is still a need to compensate him fairly relative to his fellow university presidents. No one values Crow more than ASU, and the Arizona Board of Regents saw fit to show him that. We can laud praise all we want, but at the end of the day, money talks.
We can certainly be frustrated about the exceptionally expensive market for university presidents.The 10 highest paid public university presidents all earn well over $600,000 in base pay. Crow now earns $475,000 in base pay, considered average among public university presidents. Although an outlier, Ohio State University’s E. Gordon Gee was compensated over $6 million in fiscal 2013. But it is what it is; some may say that he is already overpaid, but the market says otherwise.
Money attracts and keeps top talent, and at such a crucial junction in ASU’s history, ABOR made the right choice in letting Crow know how much it values the direction he has moved ASU.
Along with this pay raise comes the expectation that Crow will raise the bar even higher. There's plenty more for him to achieve.
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