University presidents: We earned our raises

The leaders of Florida's universities say they were underpaid before a recent spurt of hefty salary increases.

By ALISA ULFERTS, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published January 17, 2003

TALLAHASSEE -- It's been a tough year for Florida's university presidents -- budget cuts, talk of enrollment caps, yet another new governing system to deal with.

But when they gathered here Thursday, their biggest gripe concerned the bad publicity they've been getting over their escalating salaries.

"There's been some sort of a myth created in the press that there is an arms race for salaries," complained University of Central Florida president John Hitt.

The presidents said several consultants' reports -- paid for by the universities -- show their salaries lagged far behind their counterparts in other states.

"(The consultants) came up with the fact that Florida presidents were woefully underpaid," said University of South Florida president Judy Genshaft, who recently was awarded an annual salary of $325,000, the second-highest in the state. "I always said I wanted two things. I wanted a multiyear contract and I wanted fair compensation."

But the spate of pay raises in quick succession has "led to the perception that salaries were being set by just throwing darts on a board," said Hitt, chairman of the State University Presidents Association.

The salary race began when Florida International University raised president Mitch Maidique's salary to $285,000, starting last month. Then Florida A&M University paid president Fred Gainous $275,000, a $90,000 increase from his predecessor.

Now half the leaders at the state's 11 universities have received hefty raises in the past few months, some as much as 35 percent.

The race was prompted by a change in the way the schools were governed, allowing individual schools to set their own pay for the first time in decades. Gov. Jeb Bush appointed the trustees of those universities. Since then, voters have imposed a new system intended to bring more oversight.

Some lawmakers are threatening to cap salaries, said state Sen. Lee Constantine, R-Altamonte Springs, chair of the Senate Education Committee.

"Many of my colleagues responded in the sense of, "We've got to stop this,' " Constantine warned the presidents. "Whether it's perceived or not, it's out there."

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright