Ana Mari Cauce, the University of Washington’s new president, will work under a $910,000 a year contract that spans five years.
Ana Mari Cauce, the University of Washington’s new president and first woman to hold the position as a permanent appointment, got a big raise Thursday when the UW’s Board of Regents approved a $910,000 a year contract that spans five years.
She’ll receive a base salary of $697,500, deferred compensation of $150,000 a year, an annual $50,500 contribution to a retirement account and a $12,000 annual automobile allowance.
“It’s competitive, it’s fair, it’s equitable, and very much in line with those of similar universities,” said UW Regents Chair Bill Ayer, who negotiated the contract.
She will donate $100,000 of her salary back to the university for student programs and scholarships, Ayer said. “It’s an incredibly generous gift, and the regents are really grateful for this support,” he said.
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As interim president, Cauce received $524,784 a year and $150,000 in deferred compensation.
Ayer said the university community has been enthusiastic about her selection since she was chosen Oct. 13, “reinforcing the view that she’s the right person for the job.”
The salary likely makes her one of the highest-paid public university presidents in the country, when compared with figures compiled by The Chronicle of Higher Education. According to The Chronicle, only three public-university presidents made more than $910,000 a year in 2014, the latest year for which numbers were available.
Former President Michael Young, who was hired away by Texas A&M University earlier this year, made $622,008 in annual compensation as UW president, plus $193,500 in deferred compensation, a $12,000-a-year car allowance and $26,000 a year in retirement funds. Texas A&M offered him more than $1 million in compensation.
Cauce was not at Thursday’s meeting. She’s in China this week, visiting Tsinghua University, the UW’s partner on a graduate institute taking shape in Bellevue, and hosting an innovation summit and meetings with Chinese alumni.
She’ll also going to the UW’s first basketball game of the season, which is being played in Shanghai against the University of Texas Longhorns.