University President Judith Rodin has six reasons to smile -- one for each figure in her salary.
Rodin's combined salary, employee benefit plan and expense account climbed again for the 1999-2000 fiscal year, totaling $716,325, according to University tax forms.
Rodin earned $605,000 in base pay, up from $603,165 during the 1998-1999 fiscal year. In addition, she received a $40,000 increase in employee benefits and a $6,000 increase in her expense account.
But despite being the University's top official, Rodin was only the fourth-highest paid administrator at Penn.
Rodin's salary was exceeded by former Health System Chief Executive Officer William Kelley, current Health System CEO Robert Martin and University Executive Vice President John Fry.
Kelley, who was suddenly ousted in February 2000 after a decade at the helm, is still enjoying the fruits of his labor. He received a $7.8 million severance package upon his dismissal, to be paid out over seven years.
And Fry's total base salary for the 1999-2000 school year was $673,164, more than double what he made in the 1998-1999 fiscal year. His salary exceeded that of Rodin by almost $70,000.
Due to a processing glitch, Fry's 2000 salary included both his $75,000 bonus from 1999 and his $100,000 bonus from 2000.
In addition, according to University spokeswoman Lori Doyle, Fry received an even larger bonus for remaining with the University rather than jumping to another corporation.
"He was given special compensation of $115,000 as part of an effort to retain him while he was being recruited by other companies," Doyle said. "He's heavily recruited all the time."
Martin received over $900,000 for the 1999-2000 fiscal year, during which he served as both chief operating officer and interim CEO of the then-struggling Health System.
The salaries of top administrators are ultimately set by the compensation committee of University Board of Trustees. Rodin's salary is solely determined by the committee, which is headed by Chairman of the University Trustees James Riepe. Rodin makes recommendations on the salaries for Fry, Provost Robert Barchi and others, though the ultimate figure is settled by the trustees.
Riepe said that, with the help of an outside consultant, the committee takes into consideration the salaries of other university presidents and their relative responsibilities when determining Rodin's compensation.
"I think when we look at the market data, we look at people who have been in their position for a long time," Riepe said. "We look at the size of the school and the complexity of the school. It's a very, very big entity."
Over the past six years, Rodin's total compensation package has almost doubled, jumping nearly 80 percent.
"I appreciate the fact that the trustees compensate me well," Rodin said. "I am much more pleased by their feedback with regard to Penn and my own role in Penn's performance."
Riepe cited physical campus improvements, the completion of the Agenda for Excellence and improved relations with West Philadelphia as achievements that helped earn Rodin an increase in salary for the sixth consecutive year.
"The trustees have a lot of confidence in what she has done and what she has left to do," Riepe said. "We think she is one of the best, and we think we are one of the best."
Riepe said that Fry, now in his sixth year at Penn, earned his raise because of his long tenure at the University.
"Clearly, John's commitment to the University is extraordinary," Riepe said. "There was a special bonus that recognized his commitment to staying here."
Barchi received $540,099 in base pay. However, due to a processing glitch, that salary included his bonus for both the 1999 and 2000 fiscal years.
Doyle said that a portion of Barchi's salary comes from the clinical neurosurgery practice he maintains at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
