Top heavy

UCSD — The University of California just hiked annual student fees by 7.4 percent, but that hasn’t stopped the hallowed institution from handing out of ever-higher salaries. UCSD is still searching for someone to become the school’s permanent associate vice chancellor for international affairs. In the meanwhile, Peter Cowhey, dean of the university’s School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, will continue to do double duty. Cowhey stepped into the acting vice chancellor role a year ago in January, and he was given a $28,590 “stipend” to compensate him for the extra work. Some of that involved coming up with ideas about how the vice chancellorship “could be restructured to strengthen UCSD as a world leader in teaching and research, while contributing to global well-being through international partnerships and service,” according to a report to university regents. Last week the regents extended Cowhey’s stipend arrangement — which brings his total annual salary to $219,190 — until June of next year.

Meantime, the regents decided that Seth Lerer, UCSD’s incoming dean of arts and humanities, will be paid an annual salary of $230,000. He will also be given a tenured professorship in the department of literature, along with a UC-provided loan of as much as $1.33 million to buy a house. “Mr. Lerer is a top-notch scholar who is highly recognized and respected for his research in the area of medieval and renaissance studies, comparative philology, the history of scholarship, and children’s literature,” according to a report justifying the move. His previous gig was at Stanford.

Another new UCSD hire is Debra G. Neuman, who becomes the school’s vice chancellor of external relations at a handsome annual salary of $295,000, plus yearly car allowance of $8916, an annual retirement contribution of $14,750, a onetime relocation allowance of $73,750, a UC mortgage up to $1.33 million, and 30 days of temporary housing. “The recruitment experience of the San Diego campus, as well as other UC campuses, along with the assessment by Mercer Human Resources Consulting has confirmed the proposed salary rate as necessary to be competitive in this market,” says a report to the regents. Her predecessor, Keith Brant, who abruptly resigned a year ago this month after only eight months on the job — a move some said was due to a rocky relationship with UCSD chancellor Marye Anne Fox — made considerably less: $230,000, plus car allowance and mortgage deal. Brant’s predecessor, Jim Langley, who held the position for seven years, made only $210,900. Neuman, who will serve as the school’s chief fund-raiser and all-around PR maven, had a similar job at CARE USA in Atlanta.