UNR president takes big jump in salary

Friday, April 15, 2005 | 11:19 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The university Board of Regents approved a new $227,500 contract for UNR President John Lilley after a closed personnel session this morning at Western Nevada Community College.

The pay raise, along with $90,000 in supplemental pay that regents approved from the UNR foundation, makes Lilley the highest paid president in the University and Community College System of Nevada. Lilley had been making about $213,000 a year.

Fred Maryanski, president of Nevada State College in Henderson, makes a base salary of $225,000 a year, and UNLV President Carol Harter makes about $219,000 annually. Harter also receives $50,000 a year in additional compensation from the UNLV Foundation and another $40,000 in deferred compensation.

Regents approved Lilley's new contract 11-2, with Regents Howard Rosenberg and Jill Derby dissenting. The action extends Lilley's contract to June 2009 and gives him an $8,000 car allowance, an $18,000 housing allowance and a $5,000 host account in addition to the base salary of $227,500.

Derby said she was supportive of continuing Lilley's contract, but she wanted to shorten the term to make sure that those issues were being dealt with. Derby also said she wanted to revamp the evaluation process for presidents, as the regents recent open meeting policy forced regents to say things in open session that should be reserved for the closed personnel sessons.

The regents voted 12 to 1, with Rosenberg dissenting, to allow UNR's foundation to additionally supplement Lilley's salary as UNLV's foundation is doing for Harter.