Coaches dominate highest paid list, Chancellor ranks fourth

If Chancellor Mark Nordenberg wants to expand his wallet, he’d be wise to trade in his… If Chancellor Mark Nordenberg wants to expand his wallet, he’d be wise to trade in his academic regalia for a coaching whistle.

In Pitt’s most recent federal tax filing, which covers July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011, former head football coach Dave Wannstedt and current men’s basketball coach Jamie Dixon topped the list of highest-paid Pitt employees. Nordenberg came in at No. 4.

Nordenberg’s total package amounted to $707,190, which included $468,934 in base compensation, $78,188 in bonus and incentive compensation, $66,185 in retirement or deferred compensation, $67,359 in nontaxable benefits and $26,524 in other reportable income.

According to The Chronicle of Higher Education’s website, Nordenberg’s pay placed him 40th in terms of salary among presidents of public universities in the U.S..

While Nordenberg’s salary ranked highly among Pitt employees, few came close to Wannstedt in terms of total compensation.

Prior to his resignation at the end of the 2010-2011 football season, Wannstedt earned a total compensation package of $1.86 million, including $936,930 in base compensation and $855,000 in bonus and incentive pay.

Following Wannstedt on the list of top Pitt earners was Dixon, who earned $1.83 million, with $978,154 in base compensation and $681,905 in bonus and incentive pay.

Wannstedt and Dixon’s salaries reflect the growth of college athletics as a profitable business. According to the U.S. Department of Education, Pitt’s football and basketball programs generate about $5.1 million and $7.1 million in profits, respectively, per year.

Arthur Levine, senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and dean of Pitt’s school of medicine, was the third highest-paid employee at the University, with a total compensation package of $829,575 and a base pay of $720,057.

Pursuant to Pitt’s status as a state-related institution, the University is required to disclose the salaries of 13 employees, including its five highest-paid non-officers, as well as the pays of all University officers.

In addition to expenses related to personnel, Pitt also disclosed its five largest contractors. At the top of the list was Sodexo, which provides food services totaling $27.5 million. The four other listed were construction contractors, including P.J. Dick Inc. at $26.2 million.

These contractors worked on projects at Pitt’s main campus as well as the University’s four regional campuses.

In total, Pitt had a revenue of around $2.2 billion, with tuition accounting for $642.2 million, or around 29 percent.

Pitt’s largest source of revenue came from grants and contracts totaling $831.9 million, or around 37 percent. This doesn’t include the state’s contribution of around $218 million.

In terms of spending, Pitt allocated $463 million toward instruction and $138 million on academic support as well as $648.4 million on research, as defined by the IRS.

Pitt spokesman John Fedele said that in addition to the University’s federal tax filing, Pitt will disclose its top 25 highest-paid employees for state tax filings in the next few days.