WSU President gets 21 percent pay raise

The Washington State University Board of Regents has given President Elson Floyd a 21 percent pay raise.

It's going up from $600,000 a year to $725,000.

Floyd took over in May of 2007 as WSU's tenth president. The board chairman praised him for "great strides" in his first year.

The raise was announced at a Friday board meeting in Seattle where the WSU football team plays Oklahoma State on Saturday in Qwest Field.

The contract also increases the incentive for Floyd to remain at the Pullman university. The retention bonus is $500,000 if he stays through June 2012.

Following a $150,000 raise awarded last fall, UW President Mark Emmert's total compensation is $905,000. His pay, which includes a base salary of $620,000 and deferred compensation of $250,000, made Emmert the third-highest-paid leader of a public college, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education's annual survey last fall.