Chancellor’s salary below many comparable schools

By SUSAN JONES

Chancellor Patrick Gallagher ranked 84th in compensation among U.S. public university executives in 2018, according to report released July 14 by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Patrick Gallagher in red gownGallagher’s compensation package — $547,149 in base pay plus $51,519 in other benefits for a total of $598,668 — comes in well behind Penn State President Eric Barron, who was third on the list. Barron’s total compensation includes $834,364 in base pay and a $1 million bonus he received for staying with the university for five years.

The 2019 Chronicle report reflects compensation during the calendar year of 2018, while in previous years the report was for the fiscal year.

Gallagher will likely move up the list next year, reflecting deferred retention incentive payments he will receive this month of $100,000 for each year he’s served at Pitt, totaling $500,000. He also received a 2.25 percent base pay raise in December 2018 to $555,000.

For 2018, Gallagher’s pay-to-tuition ratio comes in below the median at 31 to 1; while the ratio of total compensation to average full-time faculty salary is just above the median at 4 to 1.

The leaders of neighboring, large, research, public universities earned considerably more than Gallagher. Ohio State’s Michael Drake earned $1.2 million, while West Virginia University’s E. Gordon Gee had a total package of $902,952.

Pay packages at other public ACC schools ranged from $1.24 million for Georgia Tech’s G.P. (Bud) Peterson to $591,329 for Virginia Tech’s Timothy Sands — the only ACC president making less than Gallagher.

Leading the Chronicle list are:

  • William McRaven, University of Texas system, $2.58 million ($600,413 base pay)
  • Michael Young, Texas A&M, $1.9 million ($1 million base pay, which ranks as the highest)

Susan Jones is editor of the University Times. Reach her at suejones@pitt.edu or 412-648-4294.