Women and Minority Presidents of Community Colleges Outearn Their Peers

Community-college presidents earned a median base salary of $167,000 in 2012, according to a study being released on Tuesday. Bucking trends in the pay of top officials in most other professions, women, on average, earned higher base salaries than did men at the helms of two-year institutions, the study found, and Hispanic and black presidents earned more than their white counterparts.

A report on the study, “Compensation and Benefits of Community College CEOs: 2012” — conducted by the American Association of Community Colleges — says community-college presidents’ base salaries have risen 4.1 to 6.2 percent, depending on the type of institution, over the last six years. The median total compensation, which includes base salary plus other pay for fulfilling presidential duties, was $177,462.

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Hispanic presidents reported the highest median base salary of any ethnic group, at $201,553, the study found. Black presidents had a median base salary of $190,000, and white presidents had a median base salary of $167,200.

Further analysis is needed to determine how ethnicity plays a role in community-college presidents’ salary, the report says. But it does note that black and Hispanic presidents were more likely than their white counterparts to work at large colleges and in urban areas, and both factors are associated with institutions that pay higher salaries.

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