Regents give university presidents pay raises, approve tuition increases

IOWA CITY — All three of Iowa’s public university presidents are getting pay raises this year — including a 9-percent bump for University of Iowa President Barbara Wilson, upping her annual base salary from $760,000 to $825,000.

The Board of Regents approved the increases Thursday without discussion after voting to up tuition and fees across the campuses — amounting to a 3-percent hike for in-state undergraduate and graduate students.

In addition to Wilson’s raise, Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen — who last month announced plans to retire next year — will get a 3.5 percent pay bump from $710,000 to $735,000; and University of Northern Iowa President Mark Nook will see a 3.2 percent increase to his $397,110 base wage, bringing it to $410,000.

The new salaries — approved Thursday by the board following annual closed-session performance evaluations this week — will take effect July 1.

Regents also on Thursday agreed to up Executive Director Mark Braun’s base pay to $176,384 after lawmakers last year raised what had been a $154,300 base-salary cap for that position.

Braun and the presidents have deferred compensation agreements in place — paying them additional lump sums if they stay employed through the duration of their respective deals.

Wilson’s deferred compensation plan will pay out $2.5 million in 2028; Wintersteen will get a deferred payout of $1.04 million at the end of this year; and Nook last year received an extended deferred compensation deal through 2027 — adding $100,000 a year between July 2025 and June 2027.

An August 2024 ranking of presidents or chief executives across 178 public doctoral universities and systems by total compensation — using the most recent data available for fiscal 2023 — held Wintersteen in the top 10 at No. 8, thanks to her $1.4 million total that included her $668,000 base pay and $748,207 deferred compensation payout.

The highest-paid public president that year, according to the list from The Chronicle of Higher Education, was University of Houston President Renu Khator at $1.9 million. UI President Wilson ranked 68th that year.

When looking just at base pay, Wilson and Wintersteen fall below many of their conference peers — like University of Michigan President Santa Ono’s $1 million salary; Penn State University President Neeli Bendapudi’s $937,615 wage; and University of Illinois President Timothy Killeen’s $893,263.

Tuition rising

Although the tuition increases regents approved Thursday didn’t differ much from those considered in a first reading in April, the board did table a UNI proposal to offer in-state rates to residents of neighboring states after Gov. Kim Reynolds on Wednesday nixed from an appropriations package $1.5 million lawmakers had designated for that initiative.

Reynolds took specific issue with the idea of ongoing support, although she does support the general concept of lower rates for contiguous states.

“UNI initially requested $3 million in one-time funding to jump-start a program that would thereafter be self-sustaining,” Reynolds said. “But this bill provides $1.5 million with an expectation of ongoing funding.”

The “contours of the program are also unclear as it relates to existing out-of-state students,” Reynolds said, hinting at another shot next session.

“I look forward to working with UNI next year to further develop the details of the program and see it launched.”

Without state support and board approval for the lower rates, UNI students from neighboring states will continue paying the out-of-state undergraduate rate of $20,950 — as opposed to the in-state rate of $8,792.

Including tuition and fees, room and board, and other ancillary costs, the estimated cost for a resident undergraduate student next year will be $29,958 at UI; $25,950 at Iowa State; and $24,017 at UNI.

Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.

Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com