Spring Break
Lefton: I won't take a pay cut
Trustees set compensation level
Nicole Stempak
Issue date: 5/7/09 Section: News
It's a decision President Lester Lefton said he will not volunteer to make.
"I have no intention of taking a voluntary pay reduction," he said.
Lefton's salary is set each year by the Board of Trustees. Lefton provides a list of proposed goals and objectives beginning Sept. 1. On or before May 1, Lefton then submits a self-appraisal of the year's performance, which is then reviewed by the board.
Each year, all trustees complete an evaluation survey. Every other year, the board seeks broader input from Faculty Senate leaders and members of the president's cabinet. This is not one of those years.
According to his contract, the president is eligible for an annual performance bonus that is determined by the board, up to a maximum of 20 percent of the president's base salary.
A raise or performance bonus has to be formally approved by the board at a board meeting, Chair Patrick Mullin said. He would not comment on whether he thought Lefton would get a raise or bonus.
"I'm not at a position to say one way or the other," he said. "That's a decision of the board."
Last May, the board granted Lefton a $73,500 performance bonus and a 3 percent raise, bringing his annual salary to $378,525. The bonus was the maximum 20 percent.
"The truth is, boards of trustees set the compensation level of presidents," Lefton said. "They live in a marketplace. They reward excellence, and they are fully versed in what presidents around the country (and) around the state pay."
Lefton said he didn't have any feeling about presidents taking pay cuts, but if they want to do that, then go ahead.
"The reality is there are a few presidents around the country who are making symbolic big gestures like this," he said. "They make a lot of news.
"Everyone says, 'Oh, isn't this wonderful?' I don't know how wonderful it is. It doesn't affect anything. It's more symbolic than anything else."
Lefton said last year, he gave about $7,000 to scholarship funds at the university. It was his voluntary choice, and he said this could be compared to taking a pay cut.
Two presidents in Ohio have recently announced they would take voluntary pay reductions.
Dr. Lois Margaret Nora, president and dean of the College of Medicine at the Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy, announced in December she would return one month's salary, $26,666, to NEOUCOM for student scholarships and academic support.
In November, NEOUCOM announced it canceled a series of salary increases set for January 2009 and limited hiring to only those jobs that are time-sensitive and mission critical.
"A leader looks at the organization within the context of the organization and time, not related to me," Nora said, explaining her decision was based on what was happening at a state and national level, as well as within NEOUCOM.
In April, Hiram College President Tom Chema announced that he and the four vice presidents would take a 5 percent pay cut. A college-wide hiring freeze is also in effect.
Tim Bryan, vice president for institutional advancement at Hiram, said the pay cut was a direct result of the economy and the responsible thing to do from a leadership perspective.
"Simply put, it's the right thing to do for us to show the community that that they knew we were not immune, and if anyone was going to take less pay, it was going to start at the top," Bryan said.
Contact administration reporter Nicole Stempak at nstempak@kent.edu.
"I have no intention of taking a voluntary pay reduction," he said.
Lefton's salary is set each year by the Board of Trustees. Lefton provides a list of proposed goals and objectives beginning Sept. 1. On or before May 1, Lefton then submits a self-appraisal of the year's performance, which is then reviewed by the board.
Each year, all trustees complete an evaluation survey. Every other year, the board seeks broader input from Faculty Senate leaders and members of the president's cabinet. This is not one of those years.
According to his contract, the president is eligible for an annual performance bonus that is determined by the board, up to a maximum of 20 percent of the president's base salary.
A raise or performance bonus has to be formally approved by the board at a board meeting, Chair Patrick Mullin said. He would not comment on whether he thought Lefton would get a raise or bonus.
"I'm not at a position to say one way or the other," he said. "That's a decision of the board."
Last May, the board granted Lefton a $73,500 performance bonus and a 3 percent raise, bringing his annual salary to $378,525. The bonus was the maximum 20 percent.
"The truth is, boards of trustees set the compensation level of presidents," Lefton said. "They live in a marketplace. They reward excellence, and they are fully versed in what presidents around the country (and) around the state pay."
Lefton said he didn't have any feeling about presidents taking pay cuts, but if they want to do that, then go ahead.
"The reality is there are a few presidents around the country who are making symbolic big gestures like this," he said. "They make a lot of news.
"Everyone says, 'Oh, isn't this wonderful?' I don't know how wonderful it is. It doesn't affect anything. It's more symbolic than anything else."
Lefton said last year, he gave about $7,000 to scholarship funds at the university. It was his voluntary choice, and he said this could be compared to taking a pay cut.
Two presidents in Ohio have recently announced they would take voluntary pay reductions.
Dr. Lois Margaret Nora, president and dean of the College of Medicine at the Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy, announced in December she would return one month's salary, $26,666, to NEOUCOM for student scholarships and academic support.
In November, NEOUCOM announced it canceled a series of salary increases set for January 2009 and limited hiring to only those jobs that are time-sensitive and mission critical.
"A leader looks at the organization within the context of the organization and time, not related to me," Nora said, explaining her decision was based on what was happening at a state and national level, as well as within NEOUCOM.
In April, Hiram College President Tom Chema announced that he and the four vice presidents would take a 5 percent pay cut. A college-wide hiring freeze is also in effect.
Tim Bryan, vice president for institutional advancement at Hiram, said the pay cut was a direct result of the economy and the responsible thing to do from a leadership perspective.
"Simply put, it's the right thing to do for us to show the community that that they knew we were not immune, and if anyone was going to take less pay, it was going to start at the top," Bryan said.
Contact administration reporter Nicole Stempak at nstempak@kent.edu.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 56
Robin Anderson
posted 5/07/09 @ 12:20 AM EST
So...where else you gonna go, Doc, if 'da board' were to say, take the cut?
Still ranked 'third tier, alphabetically' AND with no common sense as to how to properly invest or protect the University's endowment funds, eh?
a student
posted 5/07/09 @ 12:54 AM EST
i cannot believe he even suggested donations were the equivalent of a paycut. In that case take the damn paycut and out the money you saved the college into some of the lesser funded majors. (Continued…)
Ian
posted 5/07/09 @ 1:32 AM EST
And Lefton is laughing all the way to the bank. He'll take all the money he can get and say screw everyone else. I really hope he wasn't surprised when the students boo'd his sorry ass off the stage a few weeks ago. (Continued…)
Luke
posted 5/07/09 @ 1:49 AM EST
There is nothing I would love more than to fart in "President" Lefton's dinner.
President Bush's approval rating dipped to between 15-20% while he was in office. (Continued…)
Santina
posted 5/07/09 @ 2:59 AM EST
Dear Lefton,
Your student body despises you.
Sincerely,
A STUDENT
Jeanne
posted 5/07/09 @ 6:43 AM EST
Obviously Lefton is not trying to impress anyone and feels secure in his position. Wait -- Bush did too, and it worked for him ! Another example of "gimme what I deserve" and screw the poor (by raising tuition and/or room and board). (Continued…)
Mark
posted 5/07/09 @ 7:35 AM EST
Hey Lefty,
I think $70,000 could update a lot of the furniture in the library. Oh wait, that's just symbolic.
Fred
posted 5/07/09 @ 8:30 AM EST
I would love for his goals to be public documents and the evaluations the board gives good ol' Lester to be public also so that we as a community and student body could see what he is being evaluated on. (Continued…)
Val
posted 5/07/09 @ 10:10 AM EST
Oh Lester. You have no connection with your student body or their troubles, which is why they cannot stand you. And why they call you out of touch.
A disgruntled student
posted 5/07/09 @ 10:10 AM EST
Reading this - as a graduating senior struggling to find a position for next year... is absolutely disheartening and makes me sick.
As a president who prides himself as a progressive leader and one moving our university towards "Excellence in Action," I am incredibly shocked that you would not take a paycut for student scholarships. (Continued…)
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