The top-paid private college president in North Carolina isn’t at Duke, or Wake Forest, or Davidson. It’s High Point University's president. He received a total compensation package of nearly $3 million in 2013. That’s the third largest private school pay package in the country, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.
High Point University President NidoQubein is a motivational speaker and a businessman. He was a university trustee until the board decided to hire him.
“Here I am eight years later and together we’ve moved this university to heights of achievement that no one ever thought was possible,” Qubein said in a documentary about himself called A Life of Success and Significance.
The board paid Qubein $2.9 million in 2013. Only Columbia and University of Pennsylvania’s presidents received more. Qubein’s pay includes a base salary of $662,851. Most of the money was a one-time payout as part of an incentive to get Qubein to stick around.
The chairman of High Point’s board of trustees Richard Vert said in a statement that’s money well spent. “Qubein has lifted the institution from a state of survival to its current position as a thriving educational community,” said Vert.
Under his leadership, Vert says High Point’s enrollment tripled to 4,300 students. It added four academic schools, was rated the best regional college in the south by U.S. News and World Report, and raised $275 million. The college notes Qubein is one of the most generous donors.
The school also pays Qubein’s housing expenses and paid $108,000 for use of a private jet for his travels. The most recent year tax forms detailing pay for presidents are available is 2013. In previous years, High Point paid Qubein $1.7 million and $1 million.
In 2013, Duke's and Wake Forest’s presidents received total compensation of about $1.2 million, Davidson’s $420,000, and Queens University’s $407,000. The salary for the incoming president of the 17-campus UNC system will be $775,000.
