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The compensation of college and university presidents

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Abstract

In a study of the compensation of over 600 college and university presidents, both individual characteristics (tenure in the position, gender, and whether or not the person was hired from inside) and institutional characteristics (size, resources, university type, and form of control) were found to predict salary. In private institutions, size, resources, and type (university, four-year college, two-year college) had more effect on salary than in public colleges and universities. There is evidence that over the period from 1978 to 1983, salaries increased more in private organizations, and the link between level of resources and compensation increased in public colleges. The results, taken as a whole, are consistent both with functional theories of compensation as well as with perspectives that emphasize the attribution of effectiveness to leaders.

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Pfeffer, J., Ross, J. The compensation of college and university presidents. Res High Educ 29, 79–91 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00992144

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00992144

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