SIU gives AD, football coach hefty pay raises

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- Trustees of Southern Illinois University Carbondale have approved pay raises for the school's top athletic officials, saying that if the university wants an excellent sports program, it will have to put money into it.

Athletic director Paul Kowalczyk's new salary is $152,400, up from $121,920 per year, and football coach Jerry Kill will see his annual earnings go from $93,600 to $140,004. The raises are retroactive to April 1.

The trustees' action on Thursday was criticized by Ruth Pommier, president of the campus Association of Civil Service Employees union, which represents roughly 500 workers. She called the pay increases an "obscenity" in light of the hundreds of employees who have not received a raise in three years.

"I understand the anger of a good hard-working employee, who has gone three years without a pay raise," said board president Glenn Poshard, adding the athletics program at SIUC is becoming nationally recognized and, hence, more competitive.

Poshard said to remain competitive, SIUC has to be willing to put more money into its sports program. He said SIUC has already lost two basketball coaches in as many years, due to other universities offering them much higher salaries. While he said the university cannot match salary offers from other big name schools, it at least has to offer as much as it can.

"If you choose to compete, you must choose to build the best program you can build," he said in a press conference following the meeting.

The board also approved several student fee increases scheduled to take effect in fall 2005. They include $20 more for athletics, $12 more for student medical benefits, $12 more for the student center, $12 more for the recreation center fee, $3 more for campus recreation, $1.50 more for study activity fees and $2 more for transit.