Presidents at the the state’s three largest universities were approved for raises by the Board of Regents

All three of Iowa’s public university presidents were given raises of at least $25,000 after the Board of Regents unanimously approved a tuition hike on Thursday.

The presidents at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa were evaluated in a closed session at the Levitt Center in Iowa City.

“The Board is very happy with the outstanding work that university leadership is doing, and wanted to recognize their efforts with additional compensation,” Iowa Board of Regents senior communications director Josh Lehman said in a statement Friday.

More: Iowa Regents approve 2-3% tuition hike at state’s 3 public universities

Wilson, Wintersteen each secure $60K bump

University of Iowa President Barbara Wilson and Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen each received a $60,000 pay raise, bringing Wilson’s annual salary to $760,000. Wintersteen will make $710,000 next fiscal year.

Wilson and Wintersteen were each given a $50,000 raise last summer.

Wilson took over as president in Iowa City in 2022, and has received $160,000 in raises in the ensuing years. Wintersteen is the first female president at Iowa State University, assuming her role in 2017. She’s spent 40 years with the school.

Wintersteen took a $59,000 pay cut in 2020, a 10 % salary reduction, to help the university recover from revenue losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her base salary in 2017, when she was chosen as the school’s next president, was $525,000, and it rose to $590,000 in year three.

More: ISU announces retirement incentives; Wintersteen takes 10% pay cut

Northern Iowa president given raise

University of Northern Iowa President Mark Nook’s salary was increased by $25,000, bringing his annual earnings to $397,110. The Board of Regents renewed his employment agreement and revised his deferred compensation plan, originally established in 2018, to extend through June 30, 2027. Under this plan, starting from July 1, 2025, Nook will receive an annual contribution of $100,000 until the plan concludes.

Nook was given a $15,000 raise last summer.

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Why did the Iowa Board of Regents raise tuition again?

The raises came after the Regents approved a 3% tuition hike for the University of Iowa and Iowa State University and a 2% tuition hike for the University of Northern Iowa. Last year, The Regents agreed to raise tuition at all three universities last year by 3.5% for undergraduate students.

The Board of Regents cited inflation as their deciding factor in raising tuition for the upcoming school year. Earlier in the year, Iowa lawmakers rejected the Board of Regents’ full funding request for the 2024-2025 academic year. The board asked for an extra $14.8 million in general funding, but the legislature agreed to increase funding by 2.5%, or $12.3 million.

Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and business reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at JRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_