Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Marist College's President Made $2.68 Million In 2011, 3rd Highest In U.S.
By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 16, 2013
Modified Dec 16, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 16, 2013
Modified Dec 16, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Marist students, when you're paying your $44,390.00 in annual fees (including board; estimated for freshmen), just think: It'll take 60 of you to pay for Marist president Dennis Murray's compensation package! Murray's haul was ranked third richest among college presidents, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.
The top two earning college presidents are the University of Chicago's Robert Zimmer ($3,358,723/year) and Northeastern University's Joseph Aoun ($3,121,864). The NY Times reports, "Dr. Zimmer’s pay doubled in 2011, Dr. Aoun’s nearly tripled in the same time, and Dr. Murray’s almost quadrupled from the previous year. Although their base salaries all remained under $1 million, the top three, like many other highly paid presidents, earned much more from retirement packages, bonuses or deferred compensation."
Indeed: Marist's Murray got a huge bump thanked to deferred money. CNN explains that he got a "one-time payment of $2 million from a deferred retirement plan that had been set up in 2001. It was supposed to come due the year he retired, which he had expected to be 2011. But he decided not to leave, so he received that money while still president."
Columbia University president Lee Bollinger was fourth on the list, with $2,327,344 in total compensation while Shirley Ann Jackson, of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, was 9th with $1,752,642 and NYU president John Sexton was number 12, making $1,473,754 in 2011. However, Sexton leads with base pay: His 2011 base was $1,241,084 (Bollinger's was $988,668, Jackson's was $922,500 and Murray's was $431,650).
Tagged
college president
columbia university
fat cat
marist college
NYU
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Tompkins Square Park is getting a makeover. Some say it's too much.
Some regulars at the East Village park want to preserve its not-so-fancy offerings.
By
Willow Higgins
Published Oct 17, 2026 at 7:00 a.m. ET
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
News
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .