In his first year on the university payroll, Penn State football coach James Franklin was, unsurprisingly, the school’s highest paid employee.
In Penn State’s annual Right to Know filing, which was submitted at the end of May in accordance with state law and covers the fiscal year from July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015, Franklin was the university’s only million-dollar earner, with a salary of $1,282,187. Former head coach Bill O’Brien held the top salary the prior year at more than $1.9 million.
The next highest salary on the list — which includes the salaries of university officers and its other 25 highest paid employees — is Dr. Robert Harbaugh, Penn State Hershey Medical Center’s chair of neurosurgery. The rest of the list is dominated by Penn State Hershey doctors and leadership.
According to the Penn State corporate controller’s website, ‘only the compensation of University officers is paid from funds provided principally by tuition and/or Commonwealth appropriation. The compensation of the other employees is provided from self-supporting entities (Penn State’s Milton S. Hershey Medical Center or Intercollegiate Athletics) that do not use funding from Commonwealth appropriations or student tuition.’
Penn State President Eric Barron earned $581,818 in 2014-15. Former president Graham Spanier continues to rank among the university’s highest-paid employees, despite leaving the position in November 2011. Though he remained as a tenured faculty member he has not taught during that time either. According to filings in his breach of contract lawsuit with the university, he does not have an office on campus and Penn State has not provided him with any teaching opportunities. His separation agreement pays him $600,000 annually.
Dr. Carol Copeland, a Penn State Hershey orthopaedic physician, is the only woman on the list with a salary of $557,149.
Penn State University Officer and Highest Employee Salaries for 2014-15.
- James Franklin, Head Football Coach: $1,282,187
- Robert Harbaugh, M.D., Department of Neurosurgery Chair: $909,744
- Kevin Black, M.D., Orthopaedics/Rehabilitation Chair: $791,278
- Peter Dillon, M.D., Department of Surgery Chair: $777,624
- John Myers, M.D., Pediatric Surgery: $764,783
- Jonas Sheehan, M.D., Neurosurgery: $696,848
- Alan Brechbil, Hershey Medical Center Executive Director: $692,719
- Walter Pae, M.D., Heart and Vascular Institute Physician: $647,727
- William Hennrikus, M.D., Orthopaedic Physician: $646,671
- Lawrence Sinoway, M.D, Heart and Vascular Institute Director: $643,256
- Douglas Armstrong, M.D., Orthopaedic Physician: $636,671
- A. Craig Hillemeier, Hershey Medical Center CEO: $605,248
- Graham Spanier, Former University President: $600,000
- Kevin Cockroft, M.D., Neurosurgery: $588,163
- Eric Barron, University President: $581,818
- Joseph Clark, M.D., Pediatric Surgeon: $581,258
- John Reid, M.D., Orthopaedic Physician: $578,633
- James McInerney, M.D., Neurosurgery: $576,837
- Carol Copeland, M.D., Orthopaedic Physician: $557,149
- David Quillen, M.D., Department of Ophthalmology Chair: $552,857
- Carlo de Luna, M.D., Neurosurgery: $551,297
- Timothy Reiter, M.D., Neurosurgery: $538,335
- Berend Mets, M.B., Department of Anesthesiology Chair: $536,089
- Stephen Dunham, Vice President and General Counsel: $533,979
- David Campbell, M.D., Heart and Vascular Institute Physician: $532,532
- John Repke, M.D., Maternal Fetal Medicine Chair: $531,128
- Walter Koltun, M.D., Colorectal Surgeon: $525,449
- Mario Gonzalez, M.D., Heart and Vascular Institute Physician: $518,273
- Nick Jones, Executive Vice President and Provost: $479,757
- Rodney Kirsch, Senior Vice President of Development: $436,326
- David Gray, Senior Vice President of Finance and Treasurer, $413,007
