<p>Survey Shows 27 Presidents of Colleges Top $500,000</p>
<p>Although academia is not traditionally known for high salaries, 27 private college presidents earned more than $500,000 last year, a survey by The Chronicle of Higher Education shows. </p>
<p>The survey of 595 private colleges found that the median pay for the presidents of research universities increased 30 percent from the 1997 fiscal year to the 2001 fiscal year. In contrast, the pay for presidents of liberal arts colleges grew by 4 percent in that period. </p>
<p>Still, the survey found, it was a liberal arts college president who topped last year's chart: Claire L. Gaudiani, the Connecticut College president who resigned under pressure from the faculty, with a half-million-dollar severance package that brought her total compensation to $898,410. </p>
<p>Ms. Gaudiani's compensation included her pay and benefits, $346,000, plus the $551,500 severance. Trish Brink, a spokeswoman for the college, said the severance reflected the contributions Ms. Gaudiani had made in 13 years as president. </p>
<p>college presidents who stepped down last year. </p>
<p>Harold T. Shapiro, who ranked third in the survey, received $705,863 in the year he stepped down as president of Princeton, including deferred compensation estimated at $200,000. Ruth J. Simmons received about $145,000 in deferred compensation when she left Smith College to become Brown University's president, bringing her total compensation from Smith for that year to $539,169. Robert Edwards, who left as president of Bowdoin College, received $217,250 in severance pay, bringing his 2001 compensation to $591,000.</p>
<p>No. 2 on the compensation list and the highest paid of presidents staying in place was Judith Rodin, who received $808,021 last year at the University of Pennsylvania. </p>
<p>Others on the Top 10 list are William R. Brody of Johns Hopkins, at $677,564; L. Jay Oliva, the former president of New York University, at $651,000; Constantine N. Papadakis of Drexel, at $637,839; Richard C. Levin of Yale, at $612,453; Steven B. Sample of the University of Southern California, at $605,086; H. Patrick Swygert of Howard University, at $603,031; and Jon Westling of Boston University, at $591,017. </p>
<p>Competition for the top recruits has never been fiercer, with public and private universities increasingly vying for the same candidates. Compensation for those who lead large state university systems, too, has escalated, so that Texas and Tennessee now top $700,000. </p>
<p>"As the president's pay goes up, it raises what you pay the provosts, the deans, and so on, and that cost escalation, at a time of recession when we're going to have to raise tuition anyway, sends a pretty insensitive message," Mr. Callan said.</p>