Did David Skorton leave the University of Iowa to get paid more in Ithaca? We've recently come across a story in a local Iowa newspaper that raises some interesting questions. As reported in the Iowa City Press-Citizen, incoming Cornell president Skorton was paid $367,309 last year in his previous role in Iowa. Because CU is a private school, it does not release salary information. But according to the Chronicle of Higher Education, former prez Jeff Lehman made $675,000 in the 2003-2004 year, so we can assume Skorton will be making something similar. The highest paid president, according to research done by the paper, was Mary Sue Coleman, at the University of Michigan, earning over $724k. Skorton replaced her at UI. "A president wouldn't take the position just for the salary, but salary becomes a factor because you don't want to be paid so below your peers that you don't look competent," Van Ummersen, a former chancellor of the University System of New Hampshire and Cleveland State University, told the Press-Citizen. Interesting. As we know, the University of Iowa is notoriously known for incubating presidents -- so it makes sense that the Board of Regents there has determined that a "drastic change in the presidential salary" is needed in order to attract the best replacement for Skorton: one who might actually stick around.
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