Med School Profs Earn Top Salaries

Three medical school professionals take home the largest paychecks in the University, outdistancing their colleagues in the latest available figures by more than $20,000.

According to records made available this week at the state Attorney General's office, Cabot Professor of Biochemical Sciences Bert Valle was the highest paid University academic with a total salary of $140,080 in the fiscal year ending June 30, 1985. Vallee just edged out his boss, Medical School Dean Daniel C. Tosteson '42-'44, who took home $137,193. John R. Brooks '40, Sawyer Professor of Surgery and the chief of surgery at the University Health Services, came in third with $131,224.

But despite the official ranking, it appears that Tosteson was the highest paid employee for the seventh year in a row. That is because Vallee's salary reflected additional compensation from hospitals he worked for, while the other physicians' totals did not take into account other pay they received.

The fourth and fifth highest paid University officials, Professor of Business Administration Joseph Auerbach '38 and Professor of International Management Louis T. Wells Jr., each took home about $111,000.

In the past, the highest paid wage-earners with the Veritas seal have not been administrators and professors, but money managers who run Harvard's $3.5 billion endowment. Walter M. Cabot '55, president of the Harvard Management Company, the University's in-house investment management team, raked in $246,750 in the fiscal year ending June 30, 1984. The 1984-85 salary figures for the company are not yet available.

Professional school professors have topped Harvard's internal payscale for more than a decade as "the University responds to the market for professorial salaries," said Financial VicePresident Thomas O'Brien. "The market [pay scale]for Business School and Medical School issignificantly higher for most other schools," saidO'Brien. "Salaries must reflect the market atdifferent levels."

This year's salaries for top physicians at onemajor Boston hospital ranged from $89,000 to$270,000, said a hospital spokesman who declinedto be named. Top doctors in Vallee's and Brooks'respective fields, biochemistry and surgery, arepaid more than $250,000, the spokesman said.

Still, the salaries of the Medical Schoolemployees left the University's top brassthousands of dollars behind. President Derek C.Bok made $108,780, the biggest salary inMassachusetts Hall. His chief advisor, VicePresident and General Counsel Daniel Steiner '54,came in close behind with $107,833.

While his own paycheck increased about 8percent or $8,000 over the previous year, Bokapproved whopping raises for his deputies.Steiner, Harvard's chief lawyer, and O'Brien, itstop money man, each took home an approximately$20,000 raise--about 25 percent more than theprevious year.

"Gee, that's a lot of money," said O'Brien ofhis $103,875 salary, which hit six figures for thefirst time.

The three officials' salaries far exceeded thesalaries for their professions at other privateuniversities, according to an annual survey ofadministrator's compensation that serves as aguideline for setting salaries for manyuniversities. The average salary of presidents ofprivate universities was $75,000 in 1984-85, andonly one-quarter of these leaders earned more than$95,000, said the survey by the Washington-basedCollege and University Personnnel Association.

The median salary for chief lawyers at privateuniversities was $57,500, while one-quarter of thegeneral counsels were paid more than $73,000, thesurvey said. The average salary in O'Brien's fieldwas $51,000, while one-quarter of the chieffinancial officers took home over $65,000.

Harvard did not respond to the survey, but mostother Ivy League institutions were among the 1630schools that did.

The salaries of all the University vicepresidents were boosted higher than the inflationrate. Fred L. Glimp, vice president for alumniaffairs and development, was paid $105,500, a morethan $6000 raise. Robert H. Scott, vice presidentfor administration, took in $94,542, a more than$11,000 raise.

University Treasurer Roderick M. MacDougall,who did not work the entire year, according toO'Brien, was paid $68,430.

The Harvard administrators' earnings toweredover their counterparts in the Radcliffe Quad.Radcliffe President Matina S. Horner earned$82,000--more than $27,000 less than Bok. Louis R.Morrell, Radcliffe's treasurer, came in secondwith a $70,880 paycheck.

Vallee said he was "suprised" to find himselfat the top of the earnings list, beating DeanTosteson who held the top spot for the past sixyears.

"I don't particularly care to be on the top ofany list, certainly not that one, especially whenit reflects a clerical error," Vallee said