ALBANY, N.Y. (WKBW) — Despite a 20 percent decline in enrollment over the past decade, SUNY leadership is among the most compensated of public education officials in the nation.
That includes SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr., who collects an annual base salary of $750,000.
King's salary is three times that of Gov. Kathy Hochul and $300,000 more than his predecessor James Malatras. It comes at a time when schools like Fredonia and Potsdam battle ballooning deficits.
Last week, Fredonia's president announced plans to cut 13 programs at the university — an announcement that was met with boos. Nine programs will be cut at Potsdam. And last year ECC faced a $9 million deficit that led to the elimination of over 200 positions through layoffs and retirement.
The base salaries of his counterparts are much lower. Randy Gardner of Ohio earns just over $190,000. Ray Rodrigues, who oversees Florida's higher education, rakes in about $400,000. In neighboring Georgia, Sonny Perdue collects about $524,000.
King also receives substantial benefits in the form of $210,000 worth of allowances.
His resume is perhaps the most impressive. The graduate of Harvard, Columbia and Yale served as U.S. Education Secretary.
King now attempts to lay a roadmap for the future of SUNY's 64 campuses — the largest university system in the nation.
