25 Top-Paid Research University Leaders

Alex Philippidis Senior News Editor Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News

While not matching leading industry CEO salaries, they still ain’t hurtin’.

It seems that the august academic aphorism “publish or perish” is in the process of being replaced by “publish and profit.” Why is this you might say? Well, take a look at our 25 Top-Paid Research University Leaders, a list of chief executives of major research universities, including medical schools that received the most funding from NIH, ranked by their total compensation for the most recent year such figures were available.

This year’s list has been expanded from last year’s edition through the inclusion of heads of medical schools in addition to the chief executives of universities or university systems. The change reflects the fact that several of the top 50 schools receiving NIH funding in FY 2012 were medical schools, whose leaders in some cases receive higher compensation than the presidents of their universities.

The expansion explains in part why unlike last year, no university leader within this year’s Top 25 list received compensation below $1 million. The million-plus range of salaries also excludes from the list several heads of public universities or university systems, where political outcry against high salaries, sometimes fanned by reports in general-interest news outlets, has led state governments to limit compensation, though the salaries and other pay awarded to public university leaders continues to rise.

Another consequence of the list expansion is the presence of fewer women this year (two) than last (four). Six additional women would have made the list had it been a Top 50—starting with Case Western Reserve University President Barbara R. Snyder, who just missed the cut at #26; and including University of Iowa President Sally Mason, Ph.D. (#28); University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman, Ph.D. (#30); Harvard University President Drew Gilpin Faust, Ph.D. (#31); Boston University Medical Campus Provost Karen H. Antman, M.D. (#41); and Pamela B. Davis, M.D., Ph.D., Dean of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine (#42). Of the six, only President Snyder received total compensation totaling above $1 million, while only two (Drs. Mason and Coleman) headed a public university system.

Also this year, the amount of deferred compensation paid to each leader is footnoted and disclosed. That change followed a complaint from a university leader listed last year, who contended through a spokesperson that the additional information was pertinent and substantial background that should be shared with readers.

#25. John L. Hennessy, Ph.D.

President, Stanford University

$1,081,124 in 2011–2012¹

#24. Allen M. Spiegel, M.D.

Dean, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University

$1,084,782 in FY 2011–2012²

#23. Richard H. Brodhead

President, Duke University

$1,180,027 in 2011–2012³

#22. Ronald J. Daniels

President, The Johns Hopkins University

$1,184,535 in 2011–2012⁴

#21. Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D.

Dean, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California

$1,189,523 in FY 2011–2012⁵

#20. Mark Stephen Wrighton, Ph.D.

Chancellor, Washington University in St. Louis

$1,197,274 in FY 2011–2012⁶

#19. Susan Hockfield, Ph.D.

President, 2004–2012⁷, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

$1,199,877 in FY 2011–2012^7,8

#18. James W. Wagner, Ph.D.

President, Emory University

$1,200,633 in FY 2011–2012^9,10

#17. Nicholas S. Zeppos

Chancellor, Vanderbilt University

$1,234,749 in FY 2011–2012¹¹

#16. Jeff Balser, M.D., Ph.D.

Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Dean, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

$1,309,052 in 2011–2012¹²

#15. Joseph E. Robertson Jr., M.D.

President, Oregon Health and Science University

$1,326,191 in FY 2011–2012¹³

#14. Morton O. Schapiro, Ph.D.

President, Northwestern University

$1,355,062 in FY 2011–2012^14,15

It seems that the august academic aphorism “publish or perish” is in the process of being replaced by “publish and profit.” Why is this you might say? Well, take a look at our 25 Top-Paid Research University Leaders, a list of chief executives of major research universities, including medical schools that received the most funding from NIH, ranked by their total compensation for the most recent year such figures were available.

This year’s list has been expanded from last year’s edition through the inclusion of heads of medical schools in addition to the chief executives of universities or university systems. The change reflects the fact that several of the top 50 schools receiving NIH funding in FY 2012 were medical schools, whose leaders in some cases receive higher compensation than the presidents of their universities.

The expansion explains in part why unlike last year, no university leader within this year’s Top 25 list received compensation below $1 million. The million-plus range of salaries also excludes from the list several heads of public universities or university systems, where political outcry against high salaries, sometimes fanned by reports in general-interest news outlets, has led state governments to limit compensation, though the salaries and other pay awarded to public university leaders continues to rise.

Another consequence of the list expansion is the presence of fewer women this year (two) than last (four). Six additional women would have made the list had it been a Top 50—starting with Case Western Reserve University President Barbara R. Snyder, who just missed the cut at #26; and including University of Iowa President Sally Mason, Ph.D. (#28); University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman, Ph.D. (#30); Harvard University President Drew Gilpin Faust, Ph.D. (#31); Boston University Medical Campus Provost Karen H. Antman, M.D. (#41); and Pamela B. Davis, M.D., Ph.D., Dean of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine (#42). Of the six, only President Snyder received total compensation totaling above $1 million, while only two (Drs. Mason and Coleman) headed a public university system.

Also this year, the amount of deferred compensation paid to each leader is footnoted and disclosed. That change followed a complaint from a university leader listed last year, who contended through a spokesperson that the additional information was pertinent and substantial background that should be shared with readers.

#13. Paul Klotman, M.D.

President and CEO, Baylor College of Medicine

$1,387,904 in FY 2011–2012¹⁶

#12. C. L. Max Nikias, Ph.D.

President, University of Southern California

$1,439,126 in FY 2011–2012¹⁷

#11. John Sexton, Ph.D.

President, New York University

$1,473,754 in FY 2011–2012¹⁸

#10. Edward D. Miller, M.D.

Dean of the Medical Faculty and CEO, 1997–2012¹⁹, Johns Hopkins Medicine

$1,488,057 in FY 2011–2012²⁰

#9. Richard C. Levin, Ph.D.

President, 1993–2013²¹, Yale University

$1,652,543 in FY 2011–2012^21,22

#8. Lee Goldman, M.D.

Executive Vice President for Health and Biomedical Sciences, and Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine, Columbia University Health Sciences

$1,738,652 in FY 2011–2012²³

#7. Ronald DePinho, M.D.

President, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

$1,845,180 in FY 2012–2013

#6. E. Gordon Gee, Ed.D.

President, Ohio State University

$1,899,420 in FY 2011–2012

#5. Robert I. Grossman, M.D.

Dean and CEO, New York University School of Medicine

$2,073,584 in FY 2011–2012^24,25

#4. Amy Gutmann, Ph.D.

President, University of Pennsylvania

$2,091,764 in FY 2011–2012²⁶

#3. Lee C. Bollinger, Ph.D.

President, Columbia University

$2,327,344 in FY 2011–2012²⁷

#2. Victor J. Dzau, M.D.

President and CEO, Duke University Health System; Chancellor of Health Affairs and James B. Duke Professor of Medicine, Duke University

$2,775,693 in FY 2011–2012²⁸

#1. Robert J. Zimmer, Ph.D.

President, University of Chicago

$3,358,723 in FY 2011–2012²⁹

Compensation figures for U.S. private institutions are included within the Form 990 filed with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and made public through Guidestar.org. Compensation figures for public university heads, whose institutions are exempt from filing Form 990s, were disclosed by sources that include the schools, public databases, and news reports not publicly challenged by the schools. FY denotes Fiscal Year, which ends June 30 unless otherwise specified. The most recent publicly available Form 990s typically covered the 2011–2012 fiscal year, accounting for instances in which retired university leaders are listed, while their lower-paid successors did not make the list.

Notes:
¹ Includes $207,685 in deferred compensation.
² Includes $16,500 in deferred compensation.
³ Includes $129,975 in deferred compensation.
⁴ Includes $105,019 in deferred compensation.
⁵ Includes $24,500 in deferred compensation.
⁶ Includes $299,675 in deferred compensation.
⁷ Succeeded by MIT’s 17th president L. Rafael Reif, Ph.D., on July 1, 2012. Dr. Reif previously served as MIT’s provost, in which position he received total compensation of $658,285 during FY 2011–2012. Dr. Hockfield retains a faculty position as professor of neuroscience.
⁸ Includes $41,650 in deferred compensation.
⁹ Fiscal year runs from September 1 to August 31.
¹⁰ Includes $195,450 in deferred compensation.
¹¹ Includes $176,648 in deferred compensation.
¹² Includes $212,103 in deferred compensation.
¹³ Includes $92,623 in deferred compensation.
¹⁴ Fiscal year runs from September 30 to August 31.
¹⁵ Includes $274,500 in deferred compensation.
¹⁶ Includes $12,778 in deferred compensation.
¹⁷ Includes $228,250 in deferred compensation.
¹⁸ Includes $101,700 in deferred compensation.
¹⁹ Dr. Miller served as dean of the medical faculty and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine from 1997 to 2012, when he retired. He has been succeeded in the position by Paul B. Rothman, M.D., who holds the titles of Frances Watt Baker, M.D., and Lenox D. Baker Jr., M.D. Dean of the Medical Faculty, vice president for medicine of The Johns Hopkins University, and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine. Dr. Rothman joined Hopkins Medicine in July 2012 after having served as dean of the Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa and leader of its clinical practice plan since 2008.
²⁰ Includes $99,447 in deferred compensation.
²¹ Dr. Levin served as Yale’s 22nd president from 1993 until he retired this year. He has been succeeded by the University’s 23rd and current president, Peter Salovey, Ph.D., who made $572,162 in 2011–2012 as provost.
²² Includes $424,505 in deferred compensation.
²³ Includes $457,285 in deferred compensation.
²⁴ Includes $296,688 in deferred compensation.
²⁵ Excludes an equivalent $2,073,584 in compensation “from related organizations”.
²⁶ Includes $790,000 in deferred compensation.
²⁷ Includes $747,285 in deferred compensation.
²⁸ Includes $1,013,580 in bonus and incentive compensation, and $697,579 in deferred compensation.
²⁹ Includes $454,800 in deferred compensation.