Chancellor’s salary raised 3 percent

The Compensation Committee of Pitt’s Board of Trustees approved a 3-percent increase in… The Compensation Committee of Pitt’s Board of Trustees approved a 3-percent increase in Chancellor Mark Nordenberg’s salary for the 2005-2006 fiscal year, moving it up to $427,500.

A Chronicle of Education survey from Nov. 18 ranked Nordenberg 11th among heads of public universities in total compensation, including institutional and private contributions.

Excluding private contributions, Nordenberg ranks sixth on the Chronicle’s list, with $571,305 in institutional contributions.

Last year, Nordenberg received a 3.4 percent raise – the year before, 3 percent.

A release from the Office of Public Affairs stated that the board’s decision to raise the chancellor’s salary again was motivated by “a 10-year period of unprecedented progress.”

Attached to the release was a list of six bullet points titled “Examples of Measurable Progress at Pitt.”

It included: Enrollment: Pitt’s freshmen class has increased from 2,424 in 1995 to 3,249 in 2005. Research: Pitt “attracted” $230 million in research support in 1995, up to $603 million in 2005. Private fundraising: Pitt “moved its $1 billion capital campaign past the $800 million mark.” Endowment: The endowment’s value increased by 233 percent in the decade. Capital projects: The biomedical science towers were completed. Financial strength: The employment base increased by nearly 25 percent.

The University is not, however, without financial concerns for the future. In October, Nordenberg cosigned a letter with the presidents of Temple and Penn State to state legislators, regarding several proposals to put a cap on higher education funding in Pennsylvania.

“We strongly urge you not to proceed with these measures without careful and full consideration, including an examination of the ramifications of similar actions in other states,” the presidents wrote. “We have learned from published reports and personal accounts shared by our colleagues-that state financial support of public higher education has been substantially cut as a result of the adoption of their constitutional amendments limiting state spending.”

A bill to cap state spending in higher education has already passed in the state Senate, but the state House has not yet voted on it.

The Compensation Committee also approved the salaries of six other officers of the University yesterday.

Executive Vice Chancellor Jerome Cochran’s salary was set at $300,000 (a 4 percent increase); Secretary to the Board of Trustees and Assistant Chancellor B. Jean Ferketish, $170,000 (a 4.9 percent increase); Senior Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences and Dean of the School of Medicine Arthur S. Levine, $650,000 (a 3.25 percent increase); Senior Vice Chancellor and Provost James V. Maher $318,000 (a 3.75 percent increase); Treasurer Amy K. Marsh, $210,000 (a 6.1 percent increase); and Vice Chancellor for Budget and Controller Arthur G. Ramicone, $230,000 (a 7.5 percent increase).