PRESIDENTIAL PERKS: SEMO APPROVES SALARY PACKAGE FOR PRESIDENT, CHANCELLOR

Southeast Missouri State University's president and fund-raising chancellor aren't overpaid, says the head of the school's Board of Regents.

"We are pretty frugal," said Don Dickerson, board president.

The regents approved the fiscal 2000 budget last week, including salaries for its top two administrators.

Dr. Ken Dobbins, who was promoted to the job of university president, will make $130,000 salary in his first year at the helm.

That puts him near the bottom among the presidents of Missouri's 11 public four-year institutions.

Dobbins became the school's 17th president on Thursday, taking over for Dr. Dale Nitzschke.

Nitzschke is staying on for two years in the newly created position of chancellor. In that role, he will raise money for major construction projects, in particular the Polytechnic Building and the River Campus.

Nitzschke will make a salary of $95,000 which is $43,250 less than he made as school president.

But add in annuities and other benefits, and total compensation is much higher.

The university will pay Dobbins $157,000 over the next 12 months. That includes his salary, plus a $15,000 annuity and a $12,000 housing allowance.

Dobbins has an off-campus home. He isn't moving into Wildwood, the official on-campus home which the school may turn into an alumni center.

The regents also have budgeted $29,320 for the operation of the president's office. Dobbins' travel expenses and other costs associated with his office will come out of that account. That figure excludes secretarial salaries.

Dobbins also will have a car for business use and an $1,800 a year membership at the Cape Girardeau Country Club provided by the Southeast Missouri University Foundation.

Nitzschke will receive compensation of $118,000. In addition, he has a $20,000 budget for travel and operating expenses.

School officials said Nitzschke would be traveling much of the time in his fund-raising role.

As with Dobbins, the foundation is providing Nitzschke with a car and paying his membership fee at the Cape Girardeau Country Club.

The club's golf course is regularly visited by university officials for fund-raising efforts.

Dickerson said the regents don't know if the $20,000 budgeted for Nitzschke is sufficient given the amount of traveling he will be doing.

"If we find out it is not enough, we are going to have to fix it," he said.

Dickerson believes Nitzschke's new role as chancellor will pay big dividends in the raising of private funds to equip the Polytechnic Building and develop the River Campus school for the visual and performing arts.

The university wants to raise $14 to $15 million over the next couple of years for the two projects combined, he said. The bulk of that -- $9 million -- would be for the River Campus.

Dobbins said the chancellor position currently isn't a permanent post.

The university and Nitzschke have committed to the job for only two years.

Dickerson said, "We don't know if we need a permanent chancellor."

But Dickerson insisted that Nitzschke won't be living in semi-retirement for the next two years.

Nitzschke will be busy trying to tap into funding from charitable, corporate and government programs.

"It is high time we set ourselves up for a lot of the grant money that is out there," he said.

Dickerson insisted there is a big difference between Nitzschke's new position as chancellor and Wayne Davenport's job. Davenport is vice president of university advancement and the fund-raising foundation's executive director.

Davenport is paid $99,266 a year to secure financial gifts from people and businesses. Those gifts typically are earmarked by the donors for specific scholarships or other uses.

Nitzschke is trying to convince individuals and organizations to fund specific projects that the university wants, Dickerson said.

The departure of the university's provost, Dr. Charles Kupchella, will mean a financial savings to the university this year, Dobbins said.

Kupchella recently left to take a job as president of the University of North Dakota at Grand Forks.

A search for a permanent provost could take a year.

Dr. Dennis Holt, who was the associate provost, has been promoted to interim provost. Holt, who would have made $77,501 this year in his old job, will make $93,000 as interim provost.

Dobbins' previous duties as executive vice president have been divided between two people, who have been promoted to vice president positions.

The regents promoted Dr. Pauline Fox, professor of economics and former associate provost, to the position of vice president for administration and enrollment management.

Bill Duffy was promoted from associate vice president for finance and administration to the position of vice president for finance. His old position isn't being filled.

The move means a $4,729 pay raise for Duffy and a $25,302 pay raise for Fox. Both will be paid $93,000 salaries this fiscal year.

The university will spend about $45,000 to hire a faculty member to replace Fox in the classroom.

Dobbins said the university expects to spend less than $45,000 for a faculty member to serve as Holt's replacement. The person would teach part-time and work part-time as an associate provost.

In all, the university had expected to pay $731,498 in fiscal 2000 to Nitzschke, Dobbins, Kupchella, Holt, Fox and Davenport. The figure includes annuities for Dobbins and Nitzschke.

The promotion of Dobbins and the other administrative changes will cost the university $731,266 this fiscal year, a savings of $232, university budget calculations show.

"This whole year we are not paying Chuck Kupchella's salary. So for this year, it is a break even," said Dickerson.

In the long run, Dickerson said, the university will be better off for having both Dobbins and Nitzschke on the payroll.