After a year on top, University President Mary Sue Coleman has slipped a few rungs on the list of the highest-paid public university presidents.

Coleman, who will make $742,148 this year, dropped from first to fourth on the Chronicle of Higher Education's annual list.

University of Delaware President David Roselle, Purdue University's Martin Jischke and Mark Emmert of the University of Washington all jumped ahead of Coleman by earning big raises and bonuses in the past year.

Roselle's base salary increased by more than $250,000 and Emmert's by $48,700. When Jischke retires as Purdue's president in June of next year, he will receive a $400,000 retirement bonus.

In comparison, Coleman's salary increased by 3 percent - lower than the national average for public university presidents. Public university presidents earned on average 4.1 percent more than they did last year.

Although Coleman has been one of the highest-earning presidents nationwide since coming to the University in 2002, her salary has remained fairly static.

In her first two years as president, Coleman earned $677,500. Coleman's predecessor, Columbia University president Lee Bollinger, earned a base salary of $326,550 in his last year at the University.

University presidents earn a basic salary and often receive additional bonuses and benefits. Typically, the regents evaluate the president's performance and determine how big a raise to offer.

In her first year, Coleman refused to take a salary increase because of declining state funding. In her five years at the University, Coleman has never accepted a raise of more than 3.5 percent.

Her raises have consistently been less than or equal to the increases in faculty and staff salaries, University spokeswoman Peterson said.

Now, Coleman's base salary is $516,501 - seventh in the country among public university presidents.

Coleman's salary has been boosted by the retention bonus in her contract. At the end of this year, Coleman will earn a $500,000 bonus for spending five years as president of the University. But for the purpose of the salary rankings, the Chronicle split that total over the past five years, rather than counting it as a lump sum.

She has said she will donate that bonus to her $2.5-billion Michigan Difference fundraising campaign.

The Board of Regents this summer renewed Coleman's contract for another five years, extending it through 2012. The only major change to her contract is that she will earn a $100,000 bonus annually rather than $500,000 at the end of the contract.

Coleman has said she is satisfied with the contract the board has given her.

"I am enormously appreciative of this vote of confidence by the board, and I have never had so much fun in all my life," Coleman said when the regents offered her a raise last month. "I love this place."

On average, private university presidents make about $120,000 more than public school presidents.

But that's not always the case.

At his new Ivy League job, Bollinger still makes less than Coleman. As president of Columbia, Bollinger made $685,930 last year, according to the Chronicle.

Top of the Heap
According to the Chronicle of Higher Education's annual list, public university presidents with the highest salaries:

$979,571 - David Roselle, University of Delaware

$880,950 - Martin Jischke, Purdue University

$752,700 - Mark Emmert, University of Washington

$742,148 - Mary Sue Coleman, University of Michigan

$741,894 - Mark Yudof, University of Texas