2007 Salary Survey

Compensation

• 12/01/07

Base Salary Across Title Categories

Here we scan the top, mid-range, and low-end salaries across titles and functions. The CIO-related category is predominantly in the $125K-$150K range, tech managers hit a high of $65K, the media folks crest at $55K, and others are all over the map.

Base Salary by Gender

Though the results here are quite broad because respondents encompass so many varying titles and their corresponding salary levels, we include this chart because of the disappointing story it reveals: Women still lag behind men at virtually all salary levels. If you glance at the top half of the male/female comparison chart, it's clear that, at each salary level below $60K, more women reported in these ranges. At the higher salary levels, though—$65K all the way up to $300K—there are consistently fewer women than men. Greatest disparities show up in the $40K-$50K range (where up to 80 percent more women than men are evident), and in the "golden" $100K-$150K range (where between one-third to one-half as many women than men are in evidence). In the higher pay ranges, women are still on the outside, looking in.

Base Salary by Age Range

In higher ed tech-related posts, as in academic ones, age can translate to wisdom and command higher compensation. Here, older = better paid, in a number of instances. In fact, respondents ages 60-65 or over are predominant earners in the $100K-$150K range. The flip side of this: In tech-related jobs, it may be tough to find your way over $50K until you're into your 30s.

Base Salary by Number of Tech Certifications

Simply put: Salaries in lower to mid ranges carry heavy certification, but after $75K, certifications drop off dramatically, perhaps a demarcation between "techies" and more institutionally strategic thinkers.

Base Salary by Region

This chart gives us a broad look at how salaries are affected by regional pay modes. Though there are blips, pay scales are higher in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, lower in the Central Mountain, Midwest, and Southern regions, and are capricious on the West Coast: $50K-$55K and $100K-$125K seem favored pay ranges there.

Base Salary by Population Density

Respondents command larger salaries the closer they get to city venues, save for a blip in the $60K-$70K salary ranges on rural campuses (some rural campuses are so large they approximate suburbs or small cities). Also interesting: If you're determined to hit the $100K-$150K mark, head to the suburbs—chances are greater there than in the cities.

Base Salary by Institution Type

At a glance, these results may appear all over the map, but a couple of trends jumped out at us: Vocational/tech schools and for-profits don't just pay better in some of the mid-range-salary jobs, they pay better at $100K-$125K (a common CIO-level salary range), too.

Base Salary by School Tier

Some might expect that the higher the tier, the higher the salaries of the school's tech pros and, generally, this holds true with our survey sample, as evidenced by the larger group of respondents in the $100K-$125K range. But interestingly, more respondents in all tiers other than the top tier reported salaries in the $125K- $150K range (surprisingly, tier four schools led this group), and just as many tier three and top tier respondents reported salaries of $150K- $175K. The largest single group of respondents appear to be salaried in the $65K-$70K range—15 percent of tier four respondents; behind that is the 13 percent of tier two respondents reporting at $60K-$65K.

Comparing Earnings Within or Outside of Higher Ed Technology

Forty percent of our survey respondents feel their compensation is "a little lower than others" inside of their higher education ITrelated fields. But respondents believe they are remunerated at a rate markedly lower than those outside of the academic setting; in fact, 57 percent see their earnings as "far lower." Do the benefits and camaraderie they enjoy offset the disparity between the two worlds? Navigate to our Satisfaction section to find out.

Future Salary Changes

The overwhelming majority of our survey respondents believe that their compensation will increase moderately over the next 12 months; most of our other respondents believe it will stay the same. Only 3 percent believe their income will increase substantially over the next year—clearly, higher education is not for tech folks looking for meteoric careers. Slow and steady is the path for this group.

CIO/CISO/Tech VP Salaries by Region

Clearly, if you want to hit the $175K-$200K CIO salary range, head for the Northeast. As for those curious Central Mountain region blips: They look suspiciously as though they were represented by two respondents, and should be eyed with caution.

Technology Director Salaries by Region

In this chart it's evident that, once again, West Coast schools like to pay their tech folks in the $50K and $100K ranges. For the most part, though, these director jobs sift into the $55K-$80K range. If you're looking for more than that, the Northeast and Mid- Atlantic regions (with one eye to the West) are your best bet.

Technology Manager Salaries by Region

No surprise, but if you're a campus tech manager, it pays to live in the East. But take a look at the 27 percent of those earning $70K- $75K in the Central Mountain states, and you might decide to head to Wyoming, Arizona, or Colorado.

Instructional Technologist/Media Developer Salaries by Region

These results indicate either a suspiciously small sample in the Northeast, or else a pervasive $50K-plus pay policy in those states. But check out the West Coast, where $50K-$60K seems to prevail.

Annual Raise

Overwhelmingly, respondents reported that their employer institutions have rewarded them with raises in the past 12 months—striking, as the corporate world moves away from annual raises in favor of performance bonuses based on productivity and/or company/division profitability. A look at this category in 2008 may tell us if that corporate trend is having an impact here.

Raise Percentage

Forty-five percent of respondents reported raises of 1-3 percent, even behind the national business average of 3.7 percent. The corporate raise picture has been bleak because business employers have increasingly moved to a performance bonus model, in effect phasing out the annual salary raise. But institutions of higher education continue to extend costly health insurance and other benefits to their employees—perks that corporate America has been unloading over the past decade. None of our respondents reported raises of 50 percent or more, and 26 percent declined to answer.

Bonus (Extra Compensation) Amounts

Bonuses played a minor role in our respondents' compensation pictures: 64 percent reported bonuses under $1,000. These may have been spot bonuses, rewards, incentives, or annual bonuses, amount ing to 3-or-so percent for employees on the lower end of the compensation spectrum; less for those earning more. Three percent of our sample were the lucky ones, garnering $10K-$20K in bonuses or additional compensation. Seventeen percent declined to reveal their bonuses; we can only hope that is because they were healthy.