Data: McRaven was top earner last year

Bill McRaven, the former chancellor of the University of Texas System, had the largest compensation package of any public university leader in the country last year, according to a review by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

McRaven received $2.58 million last year, which included a base pay of over $600,000, a bonus of over $678,000 and $1.28 million in deferred compensation, according to the national education newspaper.

McRaven, a retired four-star admiral who directed the raid that led to the death of Osama bin Laden in 2011, was an unconventional choice for the UT position. He had no experience as a higher education administrator. His compensation package at the time of his hiring — $1.6 million a year in salary and deferred compensation — was nearly twice that of his predecessor, Francisco Cigarroa, and UT regents said it reflected his market value.

He became chancellor in 2015 and left in May 2018, citing health concerns. He led the hiring of six new presidents at UT System institutions, worked to close the gender gap in compensation and raised the system's profile in such fields as neurosciences and national security.

He had missteps as well, notably the acquisition of 300 acres to establish a campus in Houston for more than $200 million. He canceled the plan in 2017 after it received extensive criticism, including from state lawmakers and some regents.

Several presidents and chancellors at other Texas colleges were also among the top 10 most compensated public university leaders in the country last year. President Michael K. Young at Texas A&M University at College Station earned $1.89 million, Chancellor Renu Khator of the University of Houston $1.4 million, Chancellor John Sharp of the Texas A&M University system $1.36 million and Chancellor Robert L. Duncan of the Texas Tech University system $1.35 million, the Chronicle reported.

Former Baylor University President Ken Starr was the highest paid private university leader in 2016, the most recent year for which data about private colleges is available, the Chronicle said. He made $4.9 million that year, or nearly double McRaven's compensation last year. The vast majority of that amount was from a severance package Starr received after he left in the wake of an investigation into the university's response to several sexual assaults at the school.

The Chronicle's data shows that only five private university leaders, including Starr, received more in 2016 than McRaven did in 2018.