http://money.cnn.com/2005/11/11/pf/college/college_president_pay/index.htm

“Presidents at public institutions may earn less and be less satisfied with their pay than their private-college counterparts, but public chiefs are by no means the poor stepchildren of academic leadership. In fact, the number of public-college presidents who belong to the half-million-dollar club continues to grow.”

http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/compensation/chronicle/chesurvey1105.pdf

“Pressures notwithstanding, critics of the trend say lofty compensation packages have spawned a new ultra class within academia that grows steadily disconnected from the masses and undermines public confidence. …

Some pay packages and spending practices of university presidents have become controversial in recent years. At American University, a private institution of 10,000 students in Washington, Benjamin Ladner, its president, recently resigned amid accusations that he spent large amounts of university money for his personal use. The board gave Mr. Ladner a $3.7 million severance package.”

http://www-tech.mit.edu/V125/N56/56nytsalaries.html

“That competition with both top public and private institutions prompted the Texas Board of Regents in July to offer Mr. Yudof a record-high compensation package. Mr. Yudof, who stepped down as president of the University of Minnesota system to take the Texas job, signed an agreement that provides for annual compensation of $623,139, including a car allowance. Only $70,231 of that total comes from public money. The contract also includes a one-time payment this year of $172,580 to compensate him for retirement benefits that he would have earned in 2001-2 while employed at Minnesota but lost by taking the Texas job.

Such compensation rivals that paid to the highest earners among leaders of private colleges. Search-firm consultants say several leaders of top private universities have compensation packages in the $800,000 range.”

http://chronicle.com/free/almanac/2002/presidents/0100601.htm

Then, of course, there are the extra-greedy ones.

“Dynes has come under scrutiny after The Chronicle revealed that millions of dollars in extra compensation and questionable perks such as extra vacation, bonuses and paid housing, had been handed to some top executives, sometimes without telling the public or regents. The Chronicle’s findings, reported in 2005 and 2006, were followed by three state and university audits that showed how UC administrators sometimes flouted, circumvented and violated university policies governing pay and perks.”

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/05/18/BAGEIPTFEF1.DTL