photo by: Screenshot/KU Health System

University of Kansas Chancellor Douglas Girod speaks during a KU Health System webcast Tuesday, May 26, 2020.

University of Kansas Chancellor Douglas Girod is set to get a 4% pay increase for the coming school year, which is a somewhat larger raise than most KU employees are slated to receive.

The Kansas Board of Regents on Thursday approved pay increases for Girod and the other presidents and CEOs of the state’s six Regents universities.

Girod will receive about a $25,000 pay increase, bringing his base salary to $655,000 a year, according to past figures provided by the Regents. The 4% increase compares to an expected 2.5% cost-of-living increase that KU is planning to give to most university employees. KU, however, has held out the possibility of additional pay increases for some university employees as it studies individual positions and how their wages compare to the private sector.

Regents unanimously approved the pay increases for Girod and other university presidents as part of their monthly meeting. Regents cited “exemplary performance” by the group of university leaders, and said they also consulted relevant market data related to wages.

Girod, who is the longest-serving chancellor/university president in the Regents system, is the highest-paid among the Regents leaders. KU is the largest university in the state’s system.

The Regents, however, did provide larger percentage pay increases for other university presidents in the system. Relatively new Kansas State President Richard Linton was approved for a 10.2% salary increase. Linton’s new salary will be $565,000. The more than 10% raise resulted in a salary increase of about $52,000 for Linton, who previously was the dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University.

Fort Hays State President Tisa Mason will receive a 6% pay increase, bringing her base salary to $318,000. Wichita State President Rick Muma was approved for a 5.25% wage increase. His new wage will grow to $500,000.

Emporia State President Ken Hush and Pittsburg State President Dan Shipp both were approved for 4% raises. The salaries for both Hush and Shipp, who are completing their first year as president at their schools, will be $286,000.

In addition to university presidents, the Regents also approved a raise for the president and CEO who oversees the entire Regents system. Regents President Blake Flanders received a 5.7% pay increase, bringing his base salary to $280,000, based on past figures.