Multiply Eastern president Lou Hencken’s salary about four and a half times and that is close to what University of Illinois’ head football coach Ronald Zook made in 2005.

Hencken, who has been at Eastern for 41 years, makes $182,649. Eastern has two athletic members on the university’s top-10 highest paid list in Athletic Director Richard McDuffie at fifth with $134,700 and varsity basketball head coach Mike Miller, coming in at number eight with $126,182.

Miller didn’t comment on whether he thought a coach should make more than a president or administrator, but did say that when people accept jobs, they decide to become part of that organization.

Although he was able to help turn around KSU as an associate coach from 11-18 to 17-12 from 2000-2005 and build TSU’s record from 7-20 to 25-7 in three years as head coach, he had a hard time with the Panthers this year, who finished with a 10-20 overall record.

“When people are attracted (to a job), they accept the pay scale for what it is,” Miller said.

At Western, similar figures apply, except no employee in the athletics department is listed in the top-10 highest paid. At Southern, there are two athletic employees in the highest paid, with the head coach of men’s basketball Chris Lowery in the top three at $223,553.83.

Western, a school of 13,400 students, compares well with Eastern’s 11,336. WIU Board of Trustees member Bill Griffin said even though the university lacks an athletics employee in the top-10 list, he doesn’t believe it’s reason to think the school puts more emphasis on academics.

Griffin said the salaries are based on where the competitive market is currently set.

“We always compare with Eastern (type) schools for what the pay rate would be,” he said.

At Illinois State, Porter A. Moser, the former head men’s basketball coach, made the top-10 list three years running and even received an $8,000 raise each year. This past year he received $258,438 a year; the team finished 15-16.

But that’s junk change compared to Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops, who made $3,450,000 in 2006, according to USA Today.

Lidia Downs, executive director of the Family Taxpayer Foundation, has said coaches’ salaries are market-based and can command their salary levels because they have the skills and records of success to base them on.

“Coaches get ‘graded’ by how well their team or program is doing: There is no such rating system for academians,” said Downs. “Coaches who don’t have a good win-lose record get canned. When’s the last time you heard of that happening to a teacher or administrator based on achievement levels?”

This theory comes to life in Moser’s contract, which was terminated under the State Director of Athletics Sheahon Zenger. Now ISU will be in search of a new head coach for next season.

Moser, who had three years remaining on his contract, held a 41-67 record in his four seasons with the Redbirds. His winning percentage is the third lowest for an ISU head basketball coach.

“This isn’t about wins and losses from a particular season,” said Zenger. “This is about the program, and the management of that program. I have talked this over with President (Al) Bowman and he concurs with the decision.”

At the University of Illinois, the university’s top three highest paid employees are involved in the athletics department. This almost seems at a working disadvantage for Hencken, who oversees over 11,000 students but makes less than Zook, who oversees around 80.

The top three highest paid at U of I were Zook ($696,000), head varsity basketball coach Bruce Weber ($600,000), and Ronald Guenther, director of the division of Collegiate Athletics ($410,000). The president of U of I is the fourth highest on their list at $350,000.

Also, coaches’ salaries generally vary widely on how the team performs and what school they coach. University of Illinois’ Guenther’s salary was already approved by the board of trustees to be raised to $500,000 a year, effective this July. If Guenther stays on until 2008, he will also receive $250,000 in ‘retention incentive’ pay.

Griffin said pay raises for administration are based on performance through an annual evaluation that is distributed among faculty.

“Our president is actually not wanting to accept any more of an increase than the faculty gets from the state,” Griffin said.

Hencken said it’s hard for him to comment on what he makes, much less what other people make.

“I can’t comment on what Zook makes because he doesn’t work at Eastern,” Hencken said. “If Ron Zook has a good team. they’re not using taxpayer dollars and they’re not raising student fees, so that should say something of his worth.”

Tom Hardy, spokesman for the University of Illinois, confirmed that in comparison to academics, athletics generate income that the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics develops from ticket sales and naming rights, as well as having no state funds or tuition funds that are used to fund athletic salaries.

“If you sell tickets to English 101, I don’t think you’re going to have a lot of takers,” said Illinois state representative Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet), who is also on the appropriations committee in Springfield.

Eastern’s top-10 highest paid consists of full-time employees who work at least nine months of the year.

Eastern’s top-four are Lord Blair, vice president of Student Affairs ($159,480) at number two; Diane B. Hoadley, administrative dean ($143,664) at number three; and Jeffrey Cooley, vice president of Business Affairs ($142,104) at number four.

Sheila D. Baker, medical director ($132,624), comes in at number six; Jill Nilsen, vice president of External Affairs ($130,464), at number seven; Jayne Wayland, department chair of the School of Business ($125,364), is number nine; and Diane Jackman, administrative dean ($125,000), makes the ten spot.