Arizona Republican unveils bill to cut college presidents’ salaries amid waning state support

• An Arizona lawmaker introduced a bill that would cap university presidents’ base salaries at $500,000. The bill would also limit bonuses to 15% of the base salary.
• All three of Arizona’s public university presidents currently earn more than $500,000 in base salary alone.
• The bill comes as the universities grapple with budget constraints and students face rising tuition costs.

The leaders of Arizona’s public universities each receive more than a million dollars a year in salary, bonuses and other benefits combined. A bill introduced this week looks to change that.

Senate Bill 1453 from Sen. David Farnsworth, R-Mesa, proposes capping the base salary of university presidents at $500,000 and limiting all bonuses at 15% of that base salary. Those bonuses would only be for performance exceeding their “assigned duties” and must directly benefit the school’s students, staff or faculty.

All three presidents currently make more than that in their base salaries. Arizona State University’s Michael Crow earns $892,500 annually, while that figure stands at nearly $713,000 for Northern Arizona University’s José Cruz Rivera and $810,000 for the University of Arizona’s President Suresh Garimella. Each receives additional benefits and bonuses.

According to a 2023 analysis from The Chronicle of Higher Education of public universities, each of the leaders of Arizona’s three major universities is among the top 30 presidents nationwide based on pay.

Some of the schools are facing difficult choices in the face of financial pressures. The University of Arizona currently faces a more than $60 million budget deficit, compared to an overall budget of $1.3 billion. University officials said they have worked to keep the scope of cuts focused on administrative costs. 

This semester, in-person students at Arizona State University received a $350 tuition surcharge on their bill. University leadership said the decision was made after careful consideration of how $24 million in state funding cuts would impact the school.

Conservative leaders at the state Legislature have discussed targeting university presidents in the past. Senate President Warren Petersen argued last fall the presidents could be “doing better for less.”

“Would you support a reduction/cap on their pay?,” Petersen wrote on X. “Sounds like a good bill to hear in our #DOGE committees.”

University presidents are often not the highest-paid employees at a school — with salaries for top coaches continuing to rise. Both of the head basketball coaches at ASU and UA make more than $2 million with opportunities for other bonuses. Sen. T.J. Shope, R-Coolidge, expressed interest late last year in making it easier for the Arizona Board of Regents to reach contract deals with coaches. His bill has yet to gain traction in the Legislature.

The bill is being introduced after several years of falling support from the Legislature. Arizona currently invests less than half of the national average per capita, according to the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. 

The issue is often a point of contention for higher education leaders. The Arizona Board of Regents, the body overseeing the state’s public university system, is calling for a considerable funding jump this year. They asked for $732 million more in funding to support its mission in providing higher education opportunities to Arizonans.

Students express frustration at increasing costs

Miranda Lopez of the Arizona Students’ Association, an advocacy group supporting the bill, said her peers have become increasingly frustrated over how money is spent at the schools.

She noted that pushing for legislation that would change the higher education landscape in the way they want has been difficult, noting the Republican majorities in Arizona’s House and Senate which have previously opted for conserving spend on higher education.

But this was something they agreed on.

“One thing that we can all agree on is that we think that these people who are in executive administrative positions, especially the president, are making too much money when they don’t need to be,” Lopez said.

She said the bill has received mixed feedback from lawmakers so far, with Democrats hesitant to support it. Lopez said Democrats have indicated that limiting presidents’ salaries feels too similar to a spending cut. 

Lopez said their goal is not to cut support to higher education but to redirect money to issues they believe are more important.

“We’re not trying to cut the total amount, but rather, we’re trying to limit the amount that’s being given to one particular position,” she said.

Helen Rummel covers higher education for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at hrummel@azcentral.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @helenrummel.