UW president's raise more than $100,000; "Husky Promise" approved

University of Washington President Mark Emmert received an annual pay raise of more than $100,000 Thursday.

The Board of Regents approved a new yearly compensation package that totals $718,700, up 17 percent. Emmert's raise is retroactive to Sept. 1 and includes a base pay of $518,700 and deferred compensation of $200,000.

The pay increase probably will vault Emmert up the ranks of the highest-paid public university presidents in the country. The Chronicle of Higher Education compiles a list each November. Emmert briefly topped the list in 2004 because his $160,000 signing bonus was included that year; last year he ranked No. 8. His new pay would have ranked him third on the 2005 list, which was topped by University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman, who earned $724,604 and University of Delaware President David Roselle, who earned $720,522. The 2006 list will be released next month.

UW Board member Sally Jewell said the decision came after a comprehensive performance evaluation, in which each of the regents and more than 20 members of Emmert's cabinet gave him consistently high marks. Many people throughout the state feel better about the UW than before Emmert took over, she added.

"He's one of the top performing presidents — public or private — in the U.S.," Jewell said. "We wanted him to stick around."

Most of the raise comes in the form of deferred compensation, money that is set aside for a few years before it can be accessed, a system designed to encourage presidents to stay. Under terms Emmert agreed to when he joined the UW in 2004, the first $600,000 in deferred compensation will become available to him should he remain at the UW until 2009.

Under the new agreement, additional deferred compensation will become available to him on a rolling three-year basis.

Jewell said that deferring the money will give Emmert incentive to stay. She added that his compensation before Thursday's raise was "not a great retirement plan."

In other action Thursday, the regents approved the "Husky Promise" plan, which guarantees that low-income students will not have to pay tuition or fees, beginning in fall 2007. The program is expected to cover about 5,000 undergraduates. All of those students already have their fees and tuition covered by a combination of state, federal and UW grants and scholarships. The "Husky Promise" affirms that future students won't have to pay, either.

The Husky Promise does not cover board or food, although many low-income students get that partially covered through a combination of grants. The program is expected to cost the UW little extra at first and an additional $1.6 million to $2.8 million annually within six years.

The regents also passed a companion measure to the Husky Promise called "Students First," which will put extra money into needs-based scholarships for undergraduate, graduate and professional students. The program works by matching private contributions of over $100,000 with 50 cents for every dollar donated before June 30, 2008. It is expected the UW will contribute up to $37.5 million under the program.

Nick Perry: 206-515-5639 or nperry@seattletimes.com