According to a recent survey by The Chronicle of Higher Education, not only is the cost of tuition rising, so are the salaries of university presidents at both public and private universities. The survey quoted the median salary of university presidents at $427,400, though many were compensated well over a million dollars. In 2006, Northwestern University President Henry Bienen earned $1.7 million, making him the highest paid private university president in the country. Now, amid impending budget cuts and tuition hikes, some university presidents are giving back to the universities, or denying pay increases all together. Chancellor Mark Wrighton of Washington University is taking a 5 percent decrease in January with an additional 5 percent reduction in July. After a 40 percent increase from her previous year's pay, Amy Gutmann of the University of Pennsylvania made a gift of $100,000 to the university. Mark Emmert of the University of Washington and Elson S. Floyd of Washington State University among others across the nation have followed suit.

More from the Villanova University paper, the Villanovan
More from the New York Times