It’s official: Dr. Robert C. Robbins is the next University of Arizona president.
Robbins’ contract, approved Friday by the Arizona Board of Regents, will pay him $988,000 in salary and benefits, $200,000 of which will come from a UA Foundation endowment for presidential leadership.
He will be the highest-paid state university president in Arizona history, though he will take a pay cut from the $1.2 million-plus salary he receives as CEO of Texas Medical Center.
Robbins’ past experience includes his tenure as professor and chairman of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Stanford University School of Medicine, where he was the founding director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute. He is an internationally recognized cardiac surgeon and researcher.
The UA is a central part of the Tucson community, and being its leader is a critical position, Robbins said.
“I take that responsibility very seriously,” the new president said Friday.
Robbins emphasized the challenge in “trying to do more with less resources,” referring to declining state funding for public universities.
On that, Robbins said diversifying revenue sources, whether through philanthropy or partnerships, would be critical.
He said his focus would be on undergraduate students’ education, growing research, experiential education such as internships, forging partnerships and collaboration, creating well-rounded students and easing the burden of obtaining higher education.
“We want to make education accessible to every one of our students,” Robbins said.
Robbins’ pay package puts him ahead of President Michael Crow, who earns $788,000 as the top administrator of Arizona State University, the largest post-secondary institution in the state.
Crow said he would not be seeking a raise. “I never asked for more money in my life,” he said. “I’m not going to start now.”
Robbins, 59, will replace Ann Weaver Hart, whose UA presidency was riddled with controversy regarding her role on the board of the for-profit education firm that runs DeVry University.
The private college was subject to lawsuits claiming the school deceived its students about post-graduation job prospects.
Hart was paid $170,000 in salary and stock for that role.
The outgoing UA president submitted her resignation last year following criticism from hundreds of Arizonans and community organizations.
The Regents board awarded Hart a medal for her work at the UA. Regent Ron Shoopman said during the meeting that Hart tackled adversity with “tenacity and courage.”
Robbins’ first day is June 1. Hart will continue to receive her $670,000 presidential pay package until June 2018.
She will transition to her role as tenured university professor and will be on sabbatical during the 2018-2019 academic year.
