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May 17, 2012

Wannstedt tops Pitt’s highest-paid for 2010

Former head football coach David R. Wannstedt topped the list of Pitt’s five highest-paid, non-officer employees in calendar year 2010.

WannstedtAccording to Pitt’s federally required financial filing, which was due this week, Wannstedt, who resigned as coach in December 2010, earned $1,859,377 in total compensation, which is defined as the sum of the following categories: base compensation ($936,930); bonus and incentive compensation, which for coaches includes media programming revenue and contractual performance incentives ($855,000); other reportable compensation ($19,380); retirement and other deferred compensation, such as the University contributions to pension plans ($44,280), and nontaxable benefits ($3,787).

Rounding out the top five in 2010 were:

2004 Jamie Dixon Mug Shot• James P. Dixon II, head men’s basketball coach, who earned $1,830,176 in total compensation. That figure is the sum of $978,154 in base pay; $681,905 in bonus/incentive compensation; $25,968 in other reportable compensation; $129,402 in retirement and other deferred compensation, and $14,747 in nontaxable benefits.

Steve Pederson (2002)• Steven C. Pederson, director of Athletics, who got $596,595 in total compensation: $473,183 in base pay; $75,000 in bonus/incentive compensation; $12,594 in other reportable compensation; $21,901 in deferred compensation, and $13,917 in nontaxable benefits.

BecichWhite300• Michael J. Becich, chair of the Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, who earned $505,324 in total compensation: $441,424 base pay; $600 in other reportable compensation; $47,589 in deferred compensation, and $15,711 in nontaxable benefits.

trucco• Massimo M. Trucco, director of the Division of Immunogenetics, School of Medicine, who received $484,150 in total compensation: $437,428 in base pay; $600 in other reportable compensation; $40,704 in deferred compensation, and $5,418 in nontaxable benefits.

Compensation figures for those five employees appear on Internal Revenue Service forms released this week by Pitt. IRS form 990 requires tax-exempt, private corporations to report by May 15 the compensation figures for their five top-earning, non-officer employees, as well as for senior administrators and trustees paid by the institution.

The IRS instructs not-for-profits to report base compensation as identical to what is reported in box 5 (Medicare-eligible wages) on the employee’s tax year 2010 W-2 form. Thus, while the general financial information on form 990 is based on the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2011, under these IRS requirements, the associated compensation figures are reported for calendar year 2010.

According to IRS form 990, Pitt paid a total of 1,579 employees more than $100,000 each in 2010.

Senior administrators

Pitt’s IRS form 990 also includes required financial information on the chancellor and seven other senior administrators.

(For officers’ current salary information, see Dec. 8 University Times.)

Senior officers did not receive a base pay hike in calendar 2010 under the officer salary freeze put in place by the chancellor and Pitt trustees from January 2008 to December 2010.

However, under a deferred retention incentive plan in place at the time and dating to 2002, three of the officers — Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg, Executive Vice Chancellor Jerome Cochran and Chief Financial Officer Arthur G. Ramicone — received additional pay for remaining in their positions through June 30 each year. That calendar year 2010 compensation and the interest earned on it are reported in the bonus/incentive compensation category for them.

During 2010, James V. Maher stepped down as provost to return to the Pitt faculty, and was named provost emeritus June 25, 2010, by University trustees. His compensation represents pay both as provost and faculty member.

Former vice provost for Graduate Studies and Undergraduate Studies Patricia E. Beeson succeeded Maher as provost and senior vice chancellor Aug. 15, 2010. Her compensation represents pay earned in both capacities in 2010.

In calendar 2010, Nordenberg earned $707,190 in total compensation: $468,934 in base compensation; $78,188 in bonus/incentive compensation; $26,524 in other reportable compensation; $66,185 in deferred compensation, and $67,359 in nontaxable benefits (which includes an ascribed rent value of the University-owned chancellor’s residence, where Nordenberg, as chancellor, is required to live).

Arthur S. Levine, senior vice chancellor for Health Sciences and dean of the School of Medicine, earned $829,575 in total compensation: $720,057 in base pay; $67,680 in other reportable compensation; $29,400 in deferred compensation, and $12,438 in nontaxable benefits.

Cochran, executive vice chancellor, earned $549,991 in total compensation: $397,184 in base pay; $52,125 in bonus/incentive compensation; $23,018 in other reportable compensation; $65,603 in deferred compensation, and $12,061 in nontaxable benefits.

Maher, provost emeritus and physics faculty member, earned $472,443 in total compensation: $422,165 in base pay; $38,385 in other reportable compensation, and $11,893 in nontaxable benefits.

Ramicone, chief financial officer, earned $407,432 in total compensation: $270,950 in base pay; $52,125 in bonus/incentive compensation; $23,790 in other reportable compensation; $47,444 in deferred compensation, and $13,123 in nontaxable benefits.

Amy K. Marsh, chief investment officer and treasurer, earned $385,185 in total compensation: $324,164 in base pay; $11,692 in other reportable compensation; $35,524 in deferred compensation, and $13,805 in nontaxable benefits.

Beeson, provost and senior vice chancellor, earned $297,831 in total compensation: $252,889 in base pay; $3,387 in other reportable compensation; $30,661 in deferred compensation, and $10,894 in nontaxable benefits.

B. Jean Ferketish, secretary to the Board of Trustees and assistant chancellor, earned $242,340 in total compensation: $191,060 in base pay; $9,698 in other reportable compensation; $28,459 in deferred compensation, and $13,123 in nontaxable benefits.

Pitt’s trustees were not listed because they are not compensated for their service on the board.

Family member employees

Institutions are required by the IRS to disclose financial information on those employees who are related to senior officers, trustees or highest-paid employees.

Five such employees received compensation from the University in 2010. They were:

• Joshua Cochran of Public Safety, who earned $55,137. He is a family member of Executive Vice Chancellor Jerome Cochran.

• Anita P. Courcoulas of the Department of Surgery, who earned $210,553. Courcoulas is a family member of trustee Ira J. Gumberg.

• Maryjean Lovett, who earned $13,890; she is a family member of trustee Robert G. Lovett.

• Erin Nordenberg of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, who earned $62,838; she is a family member of the chancellor.

• Werner Troesken, a faculty member in economics, who earned $167,199. Troesken is a family member of Provost Patricia E. Beeson.

Highest-paid contractors

Pitt also is required by the IRS to file compensation figures for the five highest-paid independent contracting firms that received compensation from the University during fiscal year 2011.

Pitt contracted with the following five highest-paid firms:

• Sodexo, Atlanta, food service: $27,547,551.

• PJ Dick, Pittsburgh, construction services: $26,278,462.

• Mascaro Construction Co., Pittsburgh, construction services: $11,445,346.

• BPA II Ltd., Cleveland, construction services: $10,306,694.

• Tedco Construction Corp., Carnegie, construction services: $9,589,781.

Pitt paid 816 other unspecified independent contractors more than $100,000 each for services, according to information provided to the IRS.

Pitt’s form 990 is posted on the Office of the Chief Financial Officer web site at http://cfo.pitt.edu/; click on Right-to-Know Disclosures.

—Peter Hart


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