U. administrators earn 'competitive' salaries for field

University President Judith Rodin received a $375,000 base salary this past year. University President Judith Rodin earned $375,000 in base salary during her second year in office -- an increase of $25,000 from her previous year's income, according to federal income tax information. Additionally, Rodin received $78,029 in benefits and more than $40,000 for expenses during the 1995-96 fiscal year. But Rodin emphasized that her salary -- which is set by the Board of Trustees -- is appropriate for the size and breadth of Penn as a private university. "My salary? is competitive for a teaching and research institution of our size, complexity and academic stature," she said. And Rodin, who stressed that she effectively acts as the chief executive officer of a $2.6 billion corporation, noted that her own salary is considerably less than CEOs at similar-sized corporations. "It is certainly fair to say that chief executive officers of corporations of our size, and with comparable responsibility, are compensated at a much more substantial rate," she said. Rodin works 70- to 80-hour weeks, according to the federal income tax information. She estimates that she puts in between 12 and 16 hours of work daily, frequently working both days of the weekend as well. "My responsibilities and engagements each day vary significantly," she said. "My position takes a lot of time and dedication, but I have never had a better job." Although Rodin's salary is the second highest for a University administrator, it is considerably less than Health System Chief Executive Officer and Medical School Dean William Kelley's earnings of $867,394. And Rodin's salary is neither the highest nor the lowest among her peers at comparable private institutions, University spokesperson Ken Wildes said. Across the Ivy League, Rodin's salary is equal to that of Columbia University President George Rupp. Princeton University President Harold Shapiro received $321,450 during the same time period, with Harvard University President Neil Rudenstine receiving only a $257,533 base salary. Salary information for the remaining Ivy League universities was unavailable at press time. Other highly paid Penn administrators include Executive Vice President John Fry, who earned $243,480, and Provost Stanley Chodorow, who received $214,000 in salary. And University vice presidents' earnings range from $183,650 for Vice President for Development Virginia Clark to $138,000 for Steve Murray, who serves as vice president for business services. Wildes cautioned that comparing administrative salaries is "comparing apples to oranges" because of the variations in the responsibilities and conditions associated with each position. "It is difficult at best to make comparisons between the compensation of one vice president over another," he said. Determining salaries involves examining factors such as administrators' background, experience, seniority and the responsibility associated with each job, he said. Rodin's position involves a "huge management function as well as a visionary function," Wildes said, while Clark's position requires her to attract funding support and cultivate alumni donations -- a job with a high level of financial and administrative responsibility. Penn's selectivity in its search for administrators necessitates competitive salaries compared to similar educational institutions, he added. "Compensation must be competitive to attract the best people," Wildes said. "Penn conducts national searches to fill many of its positions. To get the best people, we have to pay dearly for them."