The California State University board of trustees unanimously approved a compensation plan aimed at increasing the base salary of CSU’s vice chancellors and settling a performance-based incentivizing plan on Wednesday.
The study was led by Segal, a compensation and human resources consulting firm. It compared the CSU system with other similar sized organizations in the country, adjusting cost-of-labor data depending on the location. Additionally, a 15% premium was applied to market data in order to match the representation size CSU has – 1 executive per 59,000 students.
“The chancellor commits to the study of faculty and staff to be completed in June to be brought back by the board,” said CSU Chancellor Mildred Garcia during the committee on university and faculty personnel. “We’re here because when we gave salary increases to all faculty and staff, our presidents and vice chancellors didn’t get that.”
The study proposes the following new salaries: vice chancellor of external relations and communications increasing from $344,321 to $371,867, vice chancellor and chief audit officer increasing from $314,900 to $368,433, vice chancellor of academic affairs increasing from $440,000 to $466,400 and vice chancellor for human resources increasing from $360,000 to $374,400.
A 5% at-risk performance-based pay linked to the CSU Forward annual goals will be placed as well.
The payment increases will be funded by $121,000 from the general fund source and the remainder from non-state, non-tuition sources. The last time vice chancellors received an increase was in 2022.
“I’m very much aware that in many parts of the collective community in California, these salaries seem extraordinary,” said the CSU Chair Jack B. Clarke when voting in favor of the plan. “At the same time, this is the largest public university system in the United States… without this data I don’t think we can do this. We have the data. We have the responsibility to this institution.”
This pay increase comes during the California Faculty Association and CSU compensation bargaining cycle, where the CFA is asking for a cost-of-living based salary adjustment.
As reported by the Daily Titan, the lowest-paid full-time employee makes a little over $66,000, but most faculty work part-time and make less than half.
“The CSU has initiated the salary review process for represented faculty and staff and anticipates completing this review by June 2026, consistent with collective bargaining requirements,” said the CSU in a FAQ regarding the pay increases. “Compensation for represented employees is subject to negotiation through the collective bargaining process.”