8 Private College Presidents Raking in More Than $2 Million

Sitting at the helm of a private university in America can be a highly lucrative position. In fact, eight of the 10 highest-paid private college presidents in the U.S. earned more than $2 million in 2014.

That’s according to a newly released pay analysis by The Chronicle of Higher Education, a news and job information source for college administration, faculty and students.

Although many Americans have been stuck in an earnings rut in recent years, the pay for private college presidents has been going up. The average yearly pay jumped by nearly 9 percent between 2013 and 2014 to $513,000, according to the Chronicle. For comparison, the median pay for public college presidents for the 2014-2015 academic year was $431,000.

Based on The Chronicle’s analysis, these are the 10 highest-paid presidents of private universities in the U.S.:

1. Jack P. Varsalona, Wilmington University, New Castle, Delaware: $5,449,405
2. Mark S. Wrighton, Washington University, St. Louis: $4,185,866
3. Gerald Turner, Southern Methodist University, Dallas: $3,354,128
4. Amy Gutmann, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia: $2,962,708
5. Lee C. Bollinger, Columbia University, New York: $2,447,032
6. Morton O. Schapiro, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois: $2,352,578
7. Robert Fisher, Belmont University, Nashville, Tennessee: $2,120,091
8. Robert J. Zimmer, University of Chicago: $2,051,089
9. James F. Jones Jr., Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut: $1,661,794
10. David J. Skorton, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York: $1,618,328

The college presidents’ compensation packages include salaries, bonuses and benefits — including housing, club memberships and travel.

Just one woman earned a spot on the list above. Of the 100 top-earning private college presidents in the U.S., a mere 17 are women.

Are you surprised to see how much money some private college presidents are earning? Sound off below or on our Facebook page.