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Now a year into his tenure, University President Mark Schlissel will receive a pay raise.
The University’s Board of Regents unanimously voted at their September meeting Thursday to bump Schlissel’s salary by approximately 3 percent — effectively increasing his yearly earnings from $750,000 to $772,500.
Schlissel’s five-year contract, which he signed in 2014, provided for annual salary increases at the regents’ discretion.
Regent Andrew Richner (R–Grosse Pointe) proposed the salary increase, which was recommended by the board’s Personnel, Compensation and Governance Committee’s annual review of the president.
Richner thanked Schlissel for getting to know the Michigan community as well as assessing its strengths and making moves to improve it. He touted Schlissel’s forthcoming diversity plan, efforts to “enhance campus climate and safety,” the sexual assault survey, new initiatives to increase the University’s affordability and his ability to “operate the business of the University with best-in-class efficiency.”
“We very much appreciate the job President Schlissel has performed in his first year,” Richner said. “He has hit the ground running … on the completion of President Schlissel’s first year in office, the Board of Regents would like to recognize and acknowledge a job well done.
Regent Shauna Ryder-Diggs (D–Grosse Pointe) emphasized her appreciation for the work Schlissel has done in the realm of campus diversity, and spoke specifically about the recent diversity summit he hosted.
“It was wonderful to see representation from all over this campus, including students, staff, faculty and administration,” she said.
“The engagement was palpable,” she added, noting that the board will look forward to the strategies that will follow further community insight and internal reviews.
In her first year at the University, President Emerita Mary Sue Coleman netted $475,000 per year. By her third year in office, her salary had risen by roughly 4.5 percent to $484,500. By the end of her tenure at the University, Coleman was earning just over $603,000 per year.