Rogers pushes raise for Harter

Tuesday, June 14, 2005 | 10:56 a.m.

University system Chancellor Jim Rogers wants to bolster UNLV President Carol Harter's salary -- for the second time in less than a year.

Rogers is recommending that the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents vote to increase Harter's salary from $219,600 to $230,000 at its upcoming June meeting at UNR.

Rogers also pushed through a $50,000-a-year raise for Harter back in October, paid for through UNLV's private foundation. That money is in addition to her state salary. The foundation is also putting away $40,000 a year in delayed compensation for Harter and has offered her a $250,000 bonus if she meets the foundation's yet unannounced fundraising campaign goals.

Rogers' proposal would make Harter the highest paid president in the university system, and that's just how it should be, Rogers said.

"Carol has the greatest longevity, the biggest school, and we thought she needed to make a little bit more than (UNR President) John Lilley," Rogers said.

Since Harter's state-funded base salary was last negotiated, Nevada State College President Fred Maryanski was hired at $225,000 a year and Lilley's contract was subsequently adjusted upward from $213,000 a year to $227,500 a year, Rogers said. The market thus dictated that Harter's salary be adjusted too.

Lilley also now receives an identical salary supplement as Harter from the UNR foundation.

Board of Regents Chairman Stavros Anthony said Rogers' recommendation was fair and equitable and that he would have no problem voting for it. Regent Mark Alden agreed, noting that the "landscape called for it." Several regents had not yet gotten a chance to look at the proposal Monday.

Regent Steve Sisolak, however, said the proposal concerned him because it seemed that the system was continually ratcheting up salaries.

"I knew this was going to happen when we raised Dr. Lilley's" salary, said Sisolak, who objected during that vote back in April. "... Every time one president gets a raise, they all get a raise, and so we give out six or seven."

Harter was in Hawaii on vacation and unavailable for comment, UNLV spokeswoman Hilarie Grey said.

Harter herself is also proposing to raise the salary of UNLV athletic director Mike Hamrick by $15,000 a year, according to an agenda item on the June meeting.

Hamrick, whose current three-year contract does not expire until June 2006, would receive a new three-year contract that would top his salary out at $255,000 a year in the 2007-2008 school year.

Gerry Bomotti, vice president of finance for UNLV, said its typical to renew contracts early when the institution is looking to retain the person, especially if they are currently being paid under market value.

"Not to speak for Dr. Harter but she is quite pleased with the athletic director and wants to retain him for the future," Bomotti said.

The raise, which includes an additional $5,000 to $10,000 bonus if Hamrick improves the athlete GPA and graduation rates, puts Hamrick right on par with other Mountain West Conference athletic directors, including Cary Groth of UNR who was making several thousand more, Bomotti said.

Hamrick was unreachable for comment.

Sisolak said he worried that both salary increases were "a competition between Reno and Las Vegas."