In a unanimous vote of support, the Arizona Board of Regents has approved a three-year contract extension for Northern Arizona University President John Haeger.
The regents took the unprecedented step of approving the contract about nine months early as a demonstration of support for the president’s leadership and success of the university. The contract runs from July 1, 2007, through June 30, 2010.
The contract provides for a salary increase of $40,000 that freezes the president’s salary at $300,000 for the next three years.
“The board is pleased to reappoint John Haeger as president of Northern Arizona University,” saidRobert Bulla, president of the Arizona Board of Regents. “His leadership skills are an asset to the board, to NAU and to the Arizona University System. This is an exciting time in the life of NAU, and I look forward to continuing to work with Dr. Haeger on our common goals.”
“I am grateful to the Arizona Board of Regents for its confidence and support of me and Northern Arizona University,” Haeger said. “I also want to thank the campus and Flagstaff communities for NAU’s continuing success and forward momentum. We have a lot to be proud of, and I look forward to advancing our outstanding undergraduate residential experience, our distinctive graduate programs and research endeavors, and our mission to provide access and affordability in higher education throughout the state.”
The president’s salary level was developed from an assessment of current salaries of chief executive officers from the university’s normal compensation comparison group—public doctoral research universities with overall budgets between $275 million and $500 million. There were 44 institutions in this group in 2005-06, including such institutions as the University of Wyoming, the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Portland State University, Northern Illinois University and Georgia State University.
Average salary data for a president from these institutions was aged over the life of the contract to determine a three-year compensation rate for President Haeger.
In addition to the base salary, the president also received adjustments to his housing allowance, car allowance and pension plan.