MILWAUKEE, Wis. (AP) — The Board of Regents gave a $73,000 raise to University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly on Thursday, rewarding him for what its president called an outstanding performance.
In a closed-door meeting at UW-Milwaukee, the regents agreed to increase Reilly’s pay to nearly $414,600 on July 1 from its current $342,000, a 21 percent increase. The board said his salary would increase to $421,500 on June 1, 2009.
The regents also approved Cornell University Provost Biddy Martin as the next UW-Madison chancellor and gave her an annual salary of $437,000. That’s about $110,000 more than outgoing Chancellor John Wiley earns and marks the first time in the 37-year history of the system that a chancellor will make more than its president.
The raises are sure to draw criticism at a time when the state is facing a budget shortfall and a slowing economy. UW System officials said the raises brought the salaries of Martin and Reilly to the average of their peers nationwide and were needed to attract and retain top leaders.