The UC Regents approved an 8 percent tuition increase today, as expected. At yesterday's meeting, they also approved some new hires earning what some may consider to be hefty salaries in these lean times.
Here's the Report of Interim Actions from the Office of the Secretary and Chief of Staff, which lists hires above a certain pay grade that were approved yesterday. The list includes a Vice Chancellor of Research at UC Davis who will make $370,000 plus a combined hiring bonus/relocation allowance of $111,000, in addition to reimbursement for "furnished temporary lodging" and parking for up to 90 days. Total cash compensation: $481,000.
According to the report, the prior employee in this position made $237,400.
Another Vice Chancellor of Research, at UC Irvine, will receive $300,000, a 9.2% hike over the salary of the previous employee.
Reporter Caitlin Esch talked to Nathan Brostrum, Executive VP of Business Operations for UC, about the recently approved salaries. Brostrum said that UC sets compensation by looking at the market median, not the salary of the previous employee in a particular job.