Ohio State reacts to Gee?s almost $2M salary
By Amanda Pierce
[email protected]
Published: Tuesday, May 29, 2012
President E. Gordon Gee sits at the top of the newly released list of the nation?s highest paid public university presidents, earning a salary shy of $2 million in the 2011 fiscal year.
Recently published by the Chronicle of Higher Education, the list includes 199 of the nation?s highest paid public university presidents.
Gee?s total compensation of $1,992,221 is comprised of a base pay of $814,157, $881,278 in deferred compensation and $296,786 of bonus pay, which the university says is paid out of non-public funds.
Second on the list is Texas A&M President Michael McKinney who, despite serving a partial year, would have earned $1,966,347 for one year?s salary.
Ohio State and Texas A&M are comparable in rank, one factor that some say is important in determining salary.
OSU and Texas A&M were ranked 17th and 19th in the nation, respectively, on U.S. News and World Report?s 2012 top public schools ranking.
Alex Fischer, president and CEO of the Columbus Partnership, a nonprofit organization of Columbus-area CEOs, said that considering OSU?s reputation, Gee is deserving of such a salary.
?I think it would hold true that if you take one of the best recognized and highly-held university presidents at one of the world?s greatest institutions that the salary would be commensurate,? Fischer said.
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