After the stadium expansion vote this morning, the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees met in executive session to review recommended pay in excess of line item-maximums and then approved the batch in a public vote.

CORRECTON: I wrote originally that these were pay “raises” in excess of line item-maximums. While all are pay levels in excess of maximums, most, if not all, are pay levels previously given and don’t reflect new raises. The pay must be approved for each fiscal year when it exceeds a line-item maximum, raise or not. So several are raises from amounts approved a year ago, though they might have been put in effect and announced in the interim.

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The UA had resisted providing me any information about this list in advance of the meeting, including names under consideration. About 60 of them were for Athletic Department employees — coaches and administrators. A handful covered academic posts.

By way of example: Chancellor Joseph Steinmetz’s base pay was approved at $450,000 (with deferred compensation the job is worth $700,000 according to the contract he signed when hired). But that was the figure he was already making.

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By way of comparison, the maximum pay list approved today (the figures include potential bonuses for post-season wins) included:

* $1.865 million for Athletic Director Jeff Long

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* $4.6 million for football coach Bret Bielema

* $3.05 million for basketball coach Mike Anderson

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* $933,333 for football offensive coordinator Dan Enos.

* $453,333 for strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert

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* $400,000 for assistant football coach Barry Lunney

* $413,333 for assistant football coach Reginald Mitchell

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* $466,667 for assistant football coach Paul Rhoads

* $533,333 for assistant football coach Michael Smith

* $1,066,667 for Robert Smith, football defensive coordinator.

* $832,000 for women’s basketball coach Jimmy Dykes.

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* $588,600 for baseball coach Dave Van Horn

Elsewhere, Todd Shields, dean of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences will be paid   $257,452, but he need not win any post-season games to attain that maximum.

CORRECTION: G. David Gearhart, the former chancellor, did not receive an increase in annual pay as I originally wrote from existing pay. He was making $343,248 for a 12-month contract, or $28,604 a month. He will have a nine-month contract beginning Aug. 15 that will pay$274,598, or $30,510 a month. Tongues have been wagging about whether another university post is in the cards for Gearhart, who left after a scandal in the advancement division. Another major university fund-drive is coming. Gearhart was viewed as a champion at fund-raising (if not necessarily at telling the whole truth about management issues at a deficit-beset advancement division.)

UPDATE: Kevin Trainor in the athletic department provided information to my followup questions about the action on pay.

What was approved today were salaries that do or could (With maximum potential postseason compensation) exceed the line item max for the position. We are required to seek Board approval annually for those. The numbers presented today to the Board did not represent any new raises. Mitchell, Anderson and Rhoads were not on staff during the 2015 season and so their salary is what was in their original agreement. Any of the remaining coaches’ salaries and potential compensation is reflective of their current salary established following the 2015 season. The staff members listed below represent the head football coach, the nine assistant football coaches and the head strength and conditioning coach.  

Coach                     Univ Salary       Max Bonus
Bielema, Bret      $3,600,000           $1,000,000
Smith, Robert      $800,000                $266,667
Enos, Daniel        $700,000                $233,333
Smith, Michael    $400,000                $133,333
Anderson, Kurt   $370,000               $123,333
Rhoads, Paul      $350,000               $116,667
Mitchell, Reginald $310,000          $103,333
Hargreaves, Vernon $300,000   $100,000
Segrest, Rory    $300,000              $100,000
Lunney, Barry $300,000            $100,000
Herbert, Ben    $340,000                $113,333

Max bonus would be for winning SEC and National Championships.

So in terms of guarantee, only three football coaches make more than the chancellor.

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