UA President Robert Robbins to take pay cut, lose bonuses amid 'financial challenges'

University of Arizona President Robert Robbins is set to take a 10% pay cut from his salary, according to a Monday announcement from the Arizona Board of Regents.

The change comes at Robbins’ request following the discovery of a $177 million budget shortfall last November. It will take off 10% of his base salary, which is around $816,000.

Robbins had been earning even more through other compensation like retirement funding, a car allowance and other bonuses. He will also forgo his bonuses and multiyear performance compensation. The board will decide when to formalize the decision at its next meeting.

Robbins previously received bonuses for creating a plan to centralize the university's IT system and completing the acquisition of UA Global Campus, formerly known as the for-profit online college Ashford University. He would have received bonuses later this year for progress made on the university's upcoming Tech Park in Maricopa, and on the Arizona Institute on Data and Computing. If the deadlines were met, it would have amounted to $150,000 in bonuses.

In recent months, both the Board of Regents and UA leadership have come under sharp criticism from Gov. Katie Hobbs for what she described as a lack of transparency and blame-shifting. Both UA and board leadership are expected to meet with her in the coming days "to discuss next steps."

The decision comes after a recent Board of Regents leadership shakeup. Former Chair Fred DuVal announced he was stepping away from his leadership role last Thursday while staying on the board for the remainder of his tenure. John Arnold, former board executive director and interim chief financial officer of UA, is taking a leave of absence to focus on his CFO duties.

New Board Chair Cecilia Mata announced Robbins’ salary cut while emphasizing the board's promise to get UA's finances under control.

“President Robbins supports these reductions and the message they send as UArizona comes together to resolve its financial challenges and emerge from this process a stronger and more resilient institution,” Mata said in the announcement.

Reporter Sasha Hupka contributed to this article.

Helen Rummel covers higher education for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @helenrummel.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: UA President Robbins to take pay cut amid school's financial issues