The University of California Board of Regents recently approved significant salary increases for most chancellors, aiming to bring their compensation closer to peers at other universities.
The salary hikes, effective this month, are funded through private sources rather than tuition or state dollars. The boosts range from 25% to over 30%, bringing salaries at various UC campuses up to $1.2 million in some cases.
UCLA and UC Berkeley’s chancellors, both newly appointed, did not receive additional raises as they were hired at the higher end of the pay scale this year.
UC San Diego’s chancellor, Pradeep Khosla, was also excluded, having received a $500,000 raise last year to prevent him from leaving for another university.
The decision to increase pay has sparked some debate, particularly from Regent John A. Pérez, who expressed discomfort with relying on data that only adjusts pay for the highest-paid leaders, without applying similar evaluations to lower-paid employees.
The Board Chair agreed to convene a task force to further review these compensation practices.
In addition to the salary increases, the regents approved a request from UC police for more military-style equipment, such as pepper balls, sponge rounds, and drones, emphasizing their non-lethal use for crowd control and de-escalation during protests.
Some faculty and students raised concerns about the use of these weapons during recent protests, though the university stated that the equipment is essential for maintaining public safety.