The UNC system’s top administrators are paid less than their colleagues at peer institutions, making them the targets of poaching attempts by rival institutions looking to lure away the universities’ chancellors.
Twelve of the system’s 15 university chancellors are paid less than the average compensation offered by peer institutions, according to a recent study conducted by the General Administration.
UNC-CH pays its chancellor $449,057 in salary and other benefits, while competing institutions offer their top administrators an average of more than $600,000 in total compensation.
Recently a number of other universities have made job offers to UNC chancellors, said Fred Mills, chair of the personnel and tenure committee of the Board of Governors. While none of the attempted poachings were successful, the board thought it was prudent to review the issue, Mills said.
“We’ve had some people try and pick off some good chancellors,” he said. “We’re just exploring ways we can maintain a competitive edge.”
Mills said the board is looking at a number of ways the UNC system could amend its executive compensation packages to make them more attractive. One option is to offer deferred compensation, meaning chancellors would receive some benefits only after staying in their positions for a certain number of years.
But any change to compensation packages is not likely to happen soon.
“There is no contemplation of a change immediately, said Laurie Charest, the UNC system’s interim vice-president of human resources.
“We look at these things because we want to remain competitive.”