California State University at San Diego-How to Pay for a $100,000 Raise

This bit of news was passed to me by a friend at work. How do you raise the college president's salary by $100, 000? Easy. Raise tuition fees 12%.


By FERMIN LEAL / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER


LONG BEACH – California State University trustees on Tuesday approved a significant pay increase for the president of San Diego State University, the same day they voted to raise student tuition by 12 percent.

Trustees approved by a 12-3 vote a $400,000 compensation package for Elliot Hirshman, San Diego State's new president. He will earn about $100,000 more than his predecessor.

Gov. Jerry Brown and others criticized the move, saying it sends the wrong message at a time when state funding for schools and other public services is being slashed dramatically. But trustees said the new president's pay is fair, considering the duties required by the head of a large university. It's also comparable to compensation received by other public university presidents nationally, they said.

Hirshman will receive $50,000 annually from the university's nonprofit fundraising arm. He will live in university housing and receive a $1,000 monthly car allowance, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. The pay package puts Hirshman slightly ahead of Jeffrey Armstrong, who became president of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in December, as the highest-paid president in the 23-campus system, the Union-Tribune reported.

In comparison, Cal State Fullerton President Milton Gordon, whose university has a slightly larger enrollment than San Diego State, earned $294,615 in total pay in 2010, according to a database of salaries posted earlier this month by The Orange County Register.

The move comes the same day the board approved an additional 12 percent tuition increase for undergraduates. The cash-strapped system has also eliminated hundreds of jobs, capped enrollment, and cut other programs and services in recent years.

The governor sent a letter earlier Tuesday to Herbert Carter, the chairman of the CSU Board of Trustees, asking the board to reconsider Hirshman's contract.

"The assumption is that you cannot find a qualified man or woman to lead the university unless paid twice that of the Chief Justice of the United States. I reject this notion," Brown said in his letter. "At a time when the state is closing its courts, laying off public school teachers and shutting senior centers, it is not right to be raising the salaries of leaders who – of necessity – must demand sacrifice from everyone else. These are difficult times and difficult choices must be made. I ask that you rethink the criteria for setting administrators' salaries."

Carter acknowledged the governor's concerns and said the board would create a task force to review CSU's policies on selecting and paying administrators.

CSU Chancellor Charles Reed said pay for university presidents is relatively low especially when compared with heads of other public and private schools. University presidents traditionally are expected to be educators, business executives and fund-raisers for their campuses. Reed also said presidents' salaries must remain competitive if the system wants to attract top candidates.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Contact the writer: 714-704-3773 or fleal@ocregister.com

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You see, it all makes perfect sense. It's just like when Sacramento, your state's capital, or Washington increases spending. To pay for it, they raise your taxes. Here they raise student tuition. Nice gig. Just think, $1,000 a month car expenses? That's a whole lotta gas even with these prices.