How much did NC public university chancellors make last year? Here’s the breakdown
When N.C. State University Chancellor Randy Woodson received $1.7 million in performance bonuses in 2021, it made him the highest-paid public university chancellor or president in the country, with a total salary of nearly $2.3 million.
But did the Wolfpack leader fare the same in 2022?
Not according to salary information of about 200 public doctoral university chancellors and presidents across the country compiled in a new database by the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Woodson made a total of $898,187 in 2022, according to the Chronicle’s data, which includes university leaders’ base pay, bonuses, benefits and other compensation. That makes him the highest paid public university chancellor in North Carolina and 34th in the Chronicle’s nationwide rankings.
Woodson’s pay in 2022 was down almost 61% from 2021, when he received a $1.5 million performance bonus as part of a retention package set up by the N.C. State Board of Trustees in 2015, The News & Observer previously reported.
Woodson, who has been chancellor at N.C. State since 2010, is known for donating money back to the university, mostly for student scholarships.
The Chronicle’s database includes salary data for a handful of UNC System chancellors, including UNC-Chapel Hill’s Kevin Guskiewicz, UNC Charlotte’s Sharon Gaber, UNC Greensboro’s Franklin D. Gilliam Jr. and more. It also includes information for UNC System President Peter Hans. (Some universities in the state, including N.C. A&T State University, Western Carolina University and Winston-Salem State University, did not provide data for their chancellors to the Chronicle in time for publication.)
Wondering how university leaders’ salaries across the UNC System stacked up against Woodson’s and those of other chancellors around the country? Here’s a look at how much they made in 2022.
Randy Woodson, NC State
Woodson brought in a total salary of $898,187 in the 2022 calendar year. That included:
Base pay of $687,716
A bonus of $200,000
Benefits totaling $7,711
Other compensation of $2,760
Woodson made a total of nearly $2.3 million the year before, thanks in large part to a $1.5 million performance bonus he received as part of his 2015 retention agreement and contract.
That contract set forth goals and performance benchmarks for Woodson to reach by June 30, 2021, including increasing the university’s endowment by bringing in new gifts, improving the university’s graduation rate, growing the university’s annual research investments and more. Woodson met the outlined goals sufficiently enough by that date and received the $1.5 million bonus for his efforts. He also received a $200,000 non-salary, privately funded stipend in 2021, The N&O reported.
The N.C. State Board of Trustees in 2021 extended Woodson’s contract until June 2025.
Kevin Guskiewicz, UNC-Chapel Hill
UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz made a total of $666,107 in 2022, up more than 6% from the previous year. His compensation included:
Base pay of $654,586
Benefits totaling $7,711
Other compensation of $3,810
Guskiewicz did not receive bonus pay in 2022 or 2021.
Guskiewicz was the second-highest paid public chancellor in the state, according to the Chronicle’s database.
Philip Rogers, East Carolina University
East Carolina University Chancellor Philip Rogers made a total of $620,416 in 2022, up about 84% from 2021. His compensation included:
Base pay of $410,987
Benefits totaling $196,296
Other compensation of $13,133
Rogers, who became chancellor in 2021, did not receive bonus pay in 2022.
Sharon Gaber, UNC Charlotte
UNC Charlotte Chancellor Sharon Gaber made a total of $563,443 in 2022, down about 18% from 2021, when she was the second-highest paid public university chancellor in the state. Her compensation included:
Base pay of $554,105
Other compensation of $9,338
Gaber, who has been chancellor at UNCC since 2015, did not receive bonus pay or benefits in 2022, according to the Chronicle’s database.
Franklin Gilliam Jr., UNC Greensboro
UNC Greensboro Chancellor Franklin Gilliam Jr. made a total of $534,180 in 2022, up less than 1% from 2021. His compensation included:
Base pay of $427,201
Benefits totaling $106,979
Gilliam, who has been chancellor at UNCG since 2015, did not receive bonus pay or other compensation in 2022.
Peter Hans, UNC System President
UNC System President Peter Hans received $451,657 in total compensation in 2022, up more than 5% from 2021. His total compensation included:
Base pay of $422,230
Benefits of $29,427
The N&O reported that Hans received a bonus of $451,200 last year, and the UNC System Board of Governors last month approved another $475,200 bonus for Hans paid to his retirement program account, based on his performance and accomplishments over the past year.
When Hans was hired as system president in 2020, he accepted a salary below his predecessor’s, but with the opportunity to receive annual incentives up to $600,000 based on his performance, as reported by The N&O at the time.
Jose Sartarelli & Aswani Volety, UNC Wilmington
The Chronicle’s database includes salary information for two UNC Wilmington chancellors: Jose Sartarelli, who retired at the end of the 2021-2022 academic year, and Aswani Volety, who became chancellor in July 2022.
Sartarelli’s total compensation in 2022 was base pay of $248,811.
Volety’s total compensation in 2022 was base pay of $217,417. His full annual base pay is $385,000, according to data maintained by The N&O.
Full list of UNC System chancellor base salaries
Many UNC System chancellors were not included in the Chronicle’s database, but the N&O maintains a database of the university leaders’ annual base salaries. Here’s what the data show each leader makes annually:
Randy Woodson, N.C. State: $704,832
Kevin Guskiewicz, UNC-Chapel Hill: $657,743
Sharon Gaber, UNC Charlotte: $556,959
Franklin Gilliam Jr., UNC Greensboro: $434,544
Philip Rogers, East Carolina University: $424,350
Harold Martin, N.C. A&T State University: $417,162
Sheri Everts, Appalachian State University: $397,932
Aswani Volety, UNC Wilmington: $385,000
Kelli Brown, Western Carolina University: $344,784
Robin Cummings, UNC Pembroke: $332,342
Karrie Dixon, Elizabeth City State University: $318,263
Elwood Robinson, Winston-Salem State University: $309,039 (Robinson retired in June after eight years in the role.)
Darrell Allison, Fayetteville State University: $302,349
Brian Cole, UNC School of the Arts: $297,045
UNC Asheville is currently without a permanent chancellor after Nancy Cable stepped down effective Dec. 31, 2022.
The N&O does not currently have salary information for N.C. Central University.
