The Arizona Senate introduced a bill aimed to set a maximum salary of $500,000 for public university presidents and limit additional compensations to 15%.
The three presidents of The University of Arizona, Northern Arizona University and ASU are making an average of $805,000 as their base salary – which does not include the bonuses they receive. ASU President Michael Crow earned more than $305,000 in bonuses last year for meeting his yearly goals.
During a Senate Education Committee meeting on Wednesday, members from the Arizona Board of Regents and the Arizona Students' Association testified for and against Senate Bill 1453.
"We are registered in respectful opposition to Senate Bill 1453 by way of background," said Thomas Adkins, vice president of Government Affairs and Community Relations. "The Board of Regents is tasked with state law and, at the Constitution, with setting the compensation and hiring state university presidents."
ABOR is the governing body over the three public universities and determines the compensation of university staff, faculty and employees, according to the fact sheet for the bill and the Arizona Constitution.
Adkins said ABOR is against SB 1453 because it would decrease their ability to "recruit and retain the best talent."
"If this bill goes into effect, locking in an arbitrary salary amount based on today's dollar, it will likely drive away our current university presidents and will make it nearly impossible to attract and retain a similar caliber of talent," Adkins said.
Senator Tim Dunn of Legislative District 25, and a member of the Senate Education Committee, raised the question of where the university presidents in Arizona stand compared to the national average.
Crow's annual salary is $892,500, UA's President Suresh Garimella is making $810,000 a year and NAU’s President José Luis Cruz Rivera makes $713,000 a year per AZCentral.
Miranda Lopez, southern regional director of ASA and treasurer of United Campus Workers, testified in favor of SB 1453.
"Our public universities have been forced to find alternative sources of revenue, leading to increased corporatization of our institutions," Lopez said.
State funding per student in Arizona is one of the lowest in the country, ranked 49th among the 50 states and Washington D.C., according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Some of the universities' resources have been affected by the cuts made in higher education.
"Budget cuts have limited how many people at the UA campus pantry can be served, even though an average of 2,000 individuals use campus pantry every week last semester, and the Pitchfork Pantry isn't even funded through ASU directly," Lopez said.
The sponsor of the bill and chair of the Senate Education Committee, Sen. David Farnsworth, thanked Lopez for her response to the bill.
"It takes courage to stand up for what you believe in," Farnsworth said.
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"This bill is not intended as an additional cut to higher education, but rather an effort to pressure the Arizona Board of Regents to reallocate university resources back to the people who actually run the universities – the students, student workers, staff and faculty," Lopez said.
Before ending the testimony, Lopez alluded to limiting other university employee salaries as well.
ASU football head coach Kenny Dillingham made over $3 million in 2023. After a successful run in the 2024-2025 season, Dillingham received a five-year deal, putting him near the top of the Big 12 head coaching salaries.
"I would also be in favor of an amendment to limit coach salaries," Lopez said.
Edited by George Headley, Sophia Ramirez and Natalia Jarrett.
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Emma is a sophomore studying journalism and mass communication and political science, with a minor in business. This is her third semester with The State Press.
