President Golden’s starting pay roughly $86,000 more than Bardo ever made

Kylie Cameron, Editor in Chief|February 12, 2020

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FILE PHOTO/MORGAN ANDERSON

University President Jay Golden, then president-elect, speaks at a Student Government Association meeting in December 2019.

In his first year as president, President Jay Golden will make $450,000, according to records obtained by The Sunflower.

Late President John Bardo, in his last full year at the university in 2018, made $364,322 – almost $86,000 less than Golden is set to make in his first year at Wichita State. Bardo’s starting pay in 2013 was $330,000.

When asked on Tuesday if Golden was being paid more than Bardo due to any additional duties or expectations, Kansas Board of Regents Director of Communications Matt Keith did not give a clear answer. He said the regents negotiate starting pay with the person being hired.

“That salary is based on many factors including the mission of the university, the candidate’s experience, additional benefits, and compensation of CEOs at peer institutions,” Keith wrote in an email to The Sunflower.

Doughlas Girod, the University of Kansas’s chancellor, is making $581,250 in his second year at the university, according to KanView. Kansas State President Richard Myers is making $562,500 in his third year.

After Golden, the next highest-paid university president is Emporia State’s Allison Garrett at $307,249.

Golden will also receive $90,000 a year for up to five years in retention compensation from the WSU Foundation. It has not been made clear whether Golden will receive that money during or after his tenure as president.

As is tradition, Golden will live in the President’s Residence at the corner of 17th and Hillside. Maintenance costs for the President’s Residence are paid by the university.

Other benefits that Golden will receive as president include a vehicle for “official Presidential use,” with gas paid for by the university, “certain dues, memberships and other expenses related to . . . the office of the President,” official travel, and hospitality paid for by the foundation.

During the 2020 fiscal year, $40,000 of Golden’s salary will come from private funds also provided by the foundation. In the following fiscal years, that figure could vary based on the university’s request to the foundation.