Thanks to a raise SF State President Robert Corrigan’s annual paycheck is 1.5 times that of the governor of California.

The university president makes more than $260,000 a year, while Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would have received $175,000, had he chosen to accept his salary.

In October 2005, the California State University Board of Trustees gave 23 state university presidents 3 percent to 23 percent salary increases. Many of them also received increases in their housing and car allowances.

Corrigan received a 13.2 percent salary increase of $30,456, as well as an annual $60,000 housing allowance, a 63 percent increase from last year. His annual car allowance increased by 33 percent and is $12,000 this year.

“The university is being run under a corporate model. You have campus presidents that are acting like CEOs,” said labor studies major Joseph Jelincic, who volunteers for the SF State California State University Employees Union chapter.

Corrigan declined to comment on his executive pay and benefits.

While the board of trustees says competitive salaries will help CSU attract and retain competent administrators, detractors like Jelincic argue that the money should be used to increase faculty and staff salaries and to create more courses required for graduation.

But according to CSU Assistant Vice Chancellor of Public Affairs Claudia Keith, every CSU employee is being paid below market rate compared to similar state institutions.

“Our administration on the whole, they haven’t gotten large increases,” Keith said, adding that this was also true for faculty and staff.

CSU Chico President Paul Zingg who received a $32,748 salary increase returned part of his raise to students through two new presidential scholarships.

“It shows that some people still have a soul for the institution,” said Linda Ellis, SF State chapter president for the CSU California Faculty Association.

Lee Blitch, SF State vice president for university advancement makes $225,000 a year. Other top administrators – Provost John Gemello; Leroy Morishita, vice president of administration and finance; and Penny Saffold, vice president of student affairs, each earn $185,184 annually.

They did not respond to questions regarding executive salaries.

Many SF State employees say it is unfair for administrators to make so much money and receive hefty raises when faculty and staff were given minimal salary increases in the past five years.

CSU faculty members had an average 3 percent salary increase in 2002, a 0.8 percent increase in 2003, and a 3.5 percent increase in 2005, according to the California Postsecondary Education Commission.

For the 2005-2006 academic year, a CSU professor made an average of $86,000, 22.6 percent less than professors from other comparable universities in the country, according to CPEC. The CSU faculty salaries were compared to figures from 20 other institutions such as Georgia State University, Cleveland State University, and Arizona State University.

CSU assistant professors made an average of $57,000, while instructors at other state institutions made $62,000. For the 2005-2006 academic year, the salary disparity between CSU and other state university faculty was 16.8 percent. The education commission said the faculty salary difference is projected to increase by 18 percent next year.

“They are going to jump ship if the salary is not competitive,” CPEC Executive Director Murray Haberman said about instructors leaving CSU for other institutions that pay faculty more.

He also said the high cost of housing in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and certain parts of California might deter instructors from teaching at CSU.

Russell Kilday-Hicks, president for the SF State California State University Employees Union chapter, said staff members are demoralized by low salaries and minimal raises.

After no salary increase for three years, bargaining units for Health Care Support (Unit 2), Operations and Support Services (Unit 5), Clerical and Administrative Support Services (Unit 7) and Technical and Support Services (Unit 9) received 3.5 percent to 4 percent raises for the 2005-2006 fiscal year.

SF State cinema professor Steve Kovacs said all university employees should be given equal salary increases, and not just administrators.

“I have absolutely no respect for the trustees,” Kovacs said. “They reward the administration at the expense of faculty and the education mission of the university.”

Many SF State students say funds for the president’s pay raise should have been used to create more course sections and programs for students.

Every semester thousands of students are unable to enroll in classes required for graduation due to budget constraints – there are not enough funds to employ more instructors, said Kilday-Hicks, SF State CSUEU chapter president.

SF State business student Kavita Sharma said she was lucky to be accepted in English 114 during her sophomore year. Her late enrollment in the prerequisite language course delayed her graduation by a year.

In addition, undergraduate student fees have increased by 38 percent since 2000, based on figures from SF State’s Office of University and Budget Planning.

Sharma, 19, said she is angry with the administration’s pay raise.

“I’m paying to go to school, but it’s going to their income increases,” she said.

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Faculty Salary Difference
between California State University and similar state institutions*
2001-02 - 7.9 %
2002-03 - 10.6 %
2003-04 - 11.6 %
2004-05 - 12.7 %
2005-06 - 16.8 %
2006-07 - 18 %**

Faculty Salary Increase
2001-02 - 3.2 %
2002-03 - 3.0 %
2003-04 - 0.8 %
2004-05 - 0.0 %
2005-06 - 3.5 %

*Comparison institutions such as Arizona State University, Cleveland State University, Georgia State University and 17 other universities

**Projected figure

Source: California Postsecondary Education Commission