Regents Vote Raises for Top UC Executives

The University of California Board of Regents on Friday approved raises totaling more than $624,000 a year for 66 top executives, among them a $52,600-a-year--or 20%--raise for the director of the UC San Francisco Medical Center.

UC President Richard C. Atkinson, whose salary was increased 4% to $253,300 a year, defended the raises as essential to preserve the university’s ability to recruit and retain top employees.

“In order to maintain quality at these institutions, we have to be in a competitive mode,” said Atkinson. “We’re running an $11-billion enterprise. We’ve got to have highly capable people.”

The 1996-97 state budget provides funds for salary increases for all UC employees. The pool of funds for salary and merit increases for faculty members provides for an average 7% raise; the pool for other staff raises provides for a 4% average.

The president, vice presidents and chancellors of the nine-campus university have received one other pay increase since 1990, officials said.

Only one regent, student representative Jess Bravin, voted against the raises for senior university officials, calling them fiscally irresponsible.

“If you had to survey Californians or legislators or educators about the 100 things wrong with higher education in our state, the lack of pay raises would not be at the top of their list,” Bravin said.

The chancellors of seven campuses--UCLA, Berkeley, Irvine, San Diego, Santa Cruz, Davis and San Francisco--each got raises of about 5%.

UC San Francisco’s Joseph B. Martin, the highest-paid chancellor, got a boost to $260,800 a year. UCLA’s Charles E. Young and Berkeley’s Chang-Lin Tien will get salary increases to to $222,700. UC Irvine’s Laurel L. Wilkening, UC Davis’ Larry N. Vanderhoef and UC San Diego’s Robert C. Dynes will make $196,300, and UC Santa Cruz’s M.R.C. Greenwood will make $182,000.

UC Riverside Chancellor Raymond L. Orbach got a 7.3% raise to $186,000 a year, while UC Santa Barbara’s Henry T.Y. Yang’s salary will rise 6.6% to $193,000.

But the biggest raises went to two medical executives: William B. Kerr, director of UC San Francisco’s Medical Center, and Frank J. Loge, director of UC Davis’ hospital and clinics. Kerr’s 20% raise increased his salary by $52,600 to $321,700 a year. Loge received a $36,400 boost, to $238,000 a year.

The third-highest raise went to a lawyer, James E. Holst, the general counsel of the regents and UC’s vice president for legal affairs. Holst’s salary will jump $20,300, or 10%, to $223,400 a year.

All raises take effect Oct. 1.