With UW-Madison, UW-Whitewater and UW-Parkside searching for new chancellors, the UW System Board of Regents approved an increase in the salary ranges for the chancellor position during its Feb. 8 meeting.
Despite some belief otherwise, there were no individual salaries involved in the decision. The increase would affect only those candidates applying for open chancellor positions. The change would take place July 1.
“Nobody actually got a raise,” said David Giroux, System spokesman. “We have a system where we have different employees in different classifications.”
He said chancellors in the system operate differently in terms of pay ranges, which require Board of Regent approval in an open session. Giroux added that the changes are simply updates to the salary ranges that hadn’t been updated in two years.
“We’re hiring three new chancellors, hopefully in the next six months,” he said. “We need to make sure that we have the salary ranges that at least compare to what other chancellor’s and university presidents are getting paid today.”
Sophomore Ben Larson said his friends who attend Madison are satisfied with the quality of their education there. He added that raising the salary ranges for the chancellor position isn’t a bad idea.
“I don’t see why they wouldn’t (increase the range),” Larson said.
However, state Rep. Scott Suder, (R-Abbotsford) who is opposed to the range increase, said top System executives have been receiving substantial pay raises over the course of the last six years, adding that the last one was just two years ago.
Giroux said every time salary ranges are adjusted, the Board has been criticized, which is something that comes standard with the issues they deal with.
“It’s just a fact of life that when you’re in charge of any organization, as the Regents are, sometimes you need to put in place good policies that aren’t always politically popular,” he said. “A lot of people are considering the open positions, especially at Madison, which is one of the most prominent high education leadership positions in the world.”
The increase, Giroux said, sends a signal to any applicants that the System is paying attention to the marketplace.
All the System chancellors’ salaries are lower than their peers in surrounding states, but Giroux said Wisconsin will never be the place to work if money is a primary concern for a candidate for a position.
Giroux said applicants are looking for the state to show it’s serious about quality higher education.
“Good leadership with the right experience and right skills comes at a price,” he said. “We need to be willing to pay something close to the market for good, quality talent.”
