For some of us, $43K is a salary—or if you like, a living wage. For John Casteen, it’s an annual raise. According to a study by the Chronicle of Higher Education, Casteen was the second highest-paid public university president last year, earning $797,048. The year before, he made $753,672. His 5.8 percent raise came in a year when in-state tuition increased by more than 8 percent.
But, if higher education teaches us anything it is to contextualize. In that spirit, here are a few more numbers:
Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee was paid $1.35 million last year.
UVA Head Football Coach Al Groh’s contract pays him $1.7 million per year.
And, in the random fact department, Charlie Sheen makes $800,000 per episode for "Two and a Half Men."
But if Casteen still has ground to cover to catch Gee, Groh and yes, Sheen, he’s ahead of a lot of other guys in his field. The median salary paid to presidents of public research universities last year was $427,400.
This morning’s question, class, Is he worth it?
Hard times? What hard times? Second highest-paid public university president John Casteen nears the $800,000 mark.