The salaries of Arizona’s three public university presidents would be capped at $500,000 a year under a new bill in the state Senate. That’s far lower than any of them are making now. ASU President Michael Crow’s base salary is just under $900,000 a year.
If the bill makes its way through the Legislature, it is unlikely that Gov. Katie Hobbs would sign it. On Tuesday, she said the bill would dissuade talent from the state.
"Arizona is home to cutting-edge, world-class universities who are engaged in significant research that is keeping us on the cutting edge of medicine, on technology, on advanced manufacturing, on solving our state and our world's climate crisis," Hobbs said.
For comparison, Hobbs makes about 10% of Crow’s income.
Sen. David Farnsworth's SB 1453 also has a provision to prevent the Board of Regents from getting around that limit.
The legislation by the Mesa Republican would limit bonuses and benefits to no more than 15% of their salary. And those add-ons could be paid "only for performance that both exceeds the president's assigned duties and directly benefits the institution's students, staff or faculty."
