Regents chief: UI pay setup not unusual

IOWA CITY - State Board of Regents President Craig Lang on Monday said the husband of University of Iowa President Sally Mason plays an important role in promoting the university and raising money.

He also said it's not unusual for the spouses of college or university presidents to be paid for their work on behalf of a school.

Lang released a statement in response to questions raised about the pay arrangement for Ken Mason, Sally Mason's husband. Ken Mason will get $54,175 this year to attend fundraising events on behalf of the school. The UI Foundation pays for the position, which is in addition to his job as a lecturer in the UI biology department - bringing his total annual pay to more than $107,000.

Lang said he will not comment on contractual arrangements made during the presidential hiring process that predates his term as board president, but he said “it is not uncommon for informal discussions of this nature to take place during the presidential hiring process.”

“Ken Mason plays an important role in helping the University of Iowa President Sally Mason in promoting and raising money for the university. As a spouse, Ken's daily schedule, including teaching, is very demanding as he is expected to attend almost every event on campus with President Mason,” Lang said in the statement. “He attends most, if not all athletic events, including networking, and entertaining donors and alumni at hundreds of other university events throughout the year. Ken is an invaluable partner to President Sally Mason and the university community, helping to raise over $800 million dollars for the university since their arrival in 2007.”

And compensation for presidential spouses is not new, Lang said.

The UI is a member of the Association of American Universities, a group of 63 large research universities. That organization estimates as many as half of its members now pay the spouses of presidents, Lang said. The association adopted guidelines in 2001 urging governing boards to recognize a partner's role when they recruit presidents, and to consider offering spouses a titled position with a job description, salary and/or benefits, he said.