Rodin's pay was third highest in nation in '95-96

According to a "Chronicle of HIgher Education" survey, only two private college presidents earned more than Judith Rodin, who received $453,029. University President Judith Rodin was the third-highest paid private college president in the country in 1995-96. Her total compensation of $453,029 placed her behind only then-Northeastern University President John Curry and Vanderbilt University President Joe Wyatt, according to a recent Chronicle of Higher Education survey. But although Curry topped the list with $995,358 in salary and benefits, more than $690,000 of his earnings came from a retirement package he received from Northeastern, making his actual salary for the year only $310,000. Wyatt earned a total of $479,072 in compensation for 1995-1996. Curry received the generous retirement package for leading the institution through a difficult period in the early 1990s during which officials cut $60 million from the budget by eliminating about 700 jobs and withholding annual raises, according to a Northeastern spokesperson. Penn spokesperson Ken Wildes stressed that Rodin deserved her high level of compensation, which was set by the University Board of Trustees. "Clearly, she is recognized by the trustees as an outstanding president at one of America's premier universities," Wildes said. Rodin's compensation included a base salary of $375,000, $78,029 in benefits and more than $40,000 in expenses. Her base salary increased $25,000 over the year before. Other Ivy League presidents among the top-10 highest compensated private college presidents include Yale University's Richard Levin, Columbia University's George Rupp and James Freedman of Dartmouth College. Rodin's salary has remained near the top of the Ivy League since she arrived at Penn. She earned $375,980 -- the second-highest salary in the Ivy League -- in 1994-95, her first year at Penn. Only Yale's Levin received more that year, earning $387,138. The highest-paid private university president that year was Howard University's Franklin Jenifer, who earned a generous $800,318 package as part of the school's attempt to prevent him from joining the University of Texas. The Chronicle's survey also found that although the nation averaged a 2.8 percent inflation rate in 1995-96, half of the nearly 400 presidents who worked full years in 1994-95 and 1995-96 reported receiving salary increases of at least 4 percent, with 60 receiving raises of at least 10 percent. The Chronicle conducts an annual survey analyzing the tax records of private college presidents across the country to determine the most generous salary and benefits packages. But the highest-paid people in the academic world continued to be medical professors, rather than university presidents. Seven doctors earned more than $1 million in salary and benefits, with an additional 12 earning more than than $800,000. Medical professors' earnings from university-owned clinics are often included in their yearly salaries, leading to their high levels of compensation. The highest-paid doctor in 1995-96 was Wayne Isom, the chairperson of Cornell University's Cardiothoracic Surgery Department, who earned $1.77 million. The six highest-paid Penn employees are all associated with the University's Health System. Health System Chief Executive Officer and Medical School Dean William Kelley's income of $867,394 was the highest in the University for 1995-96, and many Health System administrators and Medical School faculty earn significantly more than Rodin. But Health System spokesperson Rebecca Harmon explained that Penn only pays these professors a small portion of their salary -- under $60,000 -- with revenues from their clinical practices accounting for the rest of their compensation.

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