Heard on the Hill: New law dean has fourth highest salary among KU deans; Dan Savage of ‘Savage Love’ is coming to KU; KU cheer squad’s nationals routine to air on ESPN2

Your daily dose of news, notes and links from around Kansas University.

• Because KU just hired a new law dean, I figured now was as good a time as any to review the salaries for KU’s deans on the Lawrence campus.

This came after cubicle neighbor George Diepenbrock asked me where Stephen W. Mazza’s $250,000 salary ranks him among KU’s deans.

I figured I wouldn’t just tell George, I’d let everyone know, too.

As it turns out, it’s good enough to place Mazza squarely as the fourth-highest paid dean on campus. He had been making $200,000 as interim dean. Gail Agrawal, whom he replaced, was making $266,000 when she left to become dean at the University of Iowa.

Here’s the list of deans on the Lawrence and Edwards campuses and their salaries. These salaries — like other KU employees’ wages during the state budget crunch — have remained the same since the 2008-09 academic year, excepting, of course, when new hires were made.

1.) Business – William L. Fuerst, $308,000

2-tie.) Liberal Arts and Sciences – Danny J. Anderson, $260,000

2-tie.) Engineering – Stuart R. Bell, $260,000

4.) Law – Stephen W. Mazza, $250,000

5.) Pharmacy – Kenneth L. Audus, $230,000

6.) Architecture, Design and Planning – John C. Gaunt, $198,500

7.) Journalism – Ann M. Brill, $190,000

8.) Music – Robert L. Walzel, $185,000

9-tie.) Education – Richard J. Ginsberg, $184,000

9-tie.) Edwards Campus – Robert M. Clark, $184,000

11.) Libraries – Lorraine J. Haricombe, $174,620

12.) Social Welfare – Mary Ellen Kondrat, $165,000

13.) Graduate Studies – Sara Rosen, $139,050

• Dan Savage, who writes the syndicated “Savage Love” column, which you can read in The Pitch, and created the “It Gets Better” campaign, is coming to KU.

That “It Gets Better” campaign involves an effort to get people to film short videos directed at gay, lesbian and transgendered youth who may be facing hate and intolerance, and then post the videos online. More than a few examples can be seen here.

Their message is simple — that it does, in fact, get better.

Savage is also the star of an upcoming MTV show on sex advice.

Savage will be speaking at 7 p.m. April 19 at Woodruff Auditorium in the Kansas Union. It’s free for KU students, and $5 for members of the public.

• You can catch members of the KU cheerleading squad on ESPN2 and watch their fifth-place finish in the Universal Cheerleading Association/Universal Dance Association College Nationals in Orlando, Fla., earlier this year.

The program will air at 2 p.m. Sunday on ESPN2.

First place went to the University of Alabama, and the University of Kentucky placed second.

KU improved on its 10th place finish from last year, and beat 14 other teams in the national finals.

The squad entered as No. 1 in the Midwest region for Division 1A after submitting the top-rated video routine in the region.

• Heard on the Hill doesn’t need its own cheering squad — all I need are tips from you. Keep sending them to ahyland@ljworld.com.