No base pay raise for PSU’s Bendapudi this year. How her salary compares to Big Ten peers
Although Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi declined an expected raise to her base salary this week, she’s still one of the best-paid leaders among the university’s peer institutions.
According to the publicly available term sheet, Bendapudi will continue receiving a $950,000 base salary on top of $555,000 in annual deferred compensation (up from $350,000). Other payments — including an additional one-time $1.5 million payout following what could be her 10th year in office (through June 2032), thanks to a reworked rolling contract — add to her lucrative earnings while leading Penn State.
The new terms of Bendapudi’s compensation were released Friday afternoon following a split vote of the university’s board of trustees. One member, trustee Barry Fenchek, voted against the new terms, citing ongoing financial challenges at the university.
As Bendapudi nears the end of her second full year in Old Main, how do her earnings compare to the rest of the Big Ten’s universities? Here’s what you need to know.
How does Bendapudi’s pay compare to the rest of the Big Ten?
Among the 14 Big Ten university leaders, Bendapudi sits near the top of the pack in terms of compensation.
During the 2022 fiscal year, Bendapudi’s predecessor, Eric Barron, earned approximately $2,009,853 thanks to hefty additions to his base salary, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. His total pay ranked second among public university presidents behind Tedd Mitchell of the Texas Tech University system ($2,509,687).
At that time, Barron was the highest-paid leader in the Big Ten, ahead of former Northwestern University President Morton Schapiro, who earned about $1.91 million as recently as 2020. Notably, Northwestern is the only private institution in the conference.
The Chronicle of Higher Education released its most recent report organizing salaries and bonuses for public college presidents and chancellors in August 2023. Here’s how the Big Ten’s leaders stacked up in 2022:
Eric Barron, the Pennsylvania State University — $2,009,853 (left in May 2022)
Kristina Johnson, Ohio State University — $1,183,188
Samuel Stanley Jr., Michigan State University — $1,035,380 (left in November 2022)
Mitchell Daniels Jr., Purdue University — $976,587 (left in December 2022)
Darryll Pines, University of Maryland at College Park — $895,494
Mary Sue Coleman, University of Michigan — $859,418 (on interim basis)
Joan Gabel, University of Minnesota — $840,427
Robert Jones, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign — $815,430
Ronnie Green, University of Nebraska System — $756,641
Barbara Jan Wilson, University of Iowa — $669,341
Mark Schlissel, University of Michigan — $416,432 (left in January 2022)
Rebecca Blank, University of Wisconsin — $370,316 (left in June 2022)
Jennifer Mnookin, University of Wisconsin — $347,860 (started August 2022)
Santa Ono, University of Michigan — $255,927 (started October 2022)
Rutgers and Indiana were left out of the Chronicle of Higher Education’s report, the publication says. Other leaders, including a few from Michigan and Wisconsin, did not serve full terms during the 2022 fiscal year.
Recent changes to the Big Ten’s academic leadership have shifted the hierarchy of the top earners in the conference. Ohio State’s new president, Walter “Ted” Carter, took office in January and is already expected to make north of $2 million (with a $1.1 million base salary), for example. Michigan’s Santa Ono, who assumed office in the fall of 2022, is already making more than $1 million following a recent raise, according to The Detroit News.
Despite Bendapudi’s recently altered contract terms, she’s not quite close to becoming the highest-paid Penn State employee. That distinction goes to the Nittany Lions’ football coach, James Franklin, who made an estimated $8.5 million in 2023 following a lucrative new contract extension signed through the 2031 season.
