“The salaries for the president were low for a long time,” Trustee chairman Joel Ferguson said. “(The raise was) to catch up. If you’re way behind somebody, you got to run faster.”

Simon’s pay raise reflects a nationwide trend of increasing college presidential salaries. In 2007-08, public university compensation increased 7.6 percent to an average salary of $427,400.

Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee’s salary of $1,346,225 is the highest of the public universities in the Big Ten. Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman is second, earning $760,196.

Ferguson said the board agreed Simon deserved a higher salary and performed as well as other Big Ten leaders.

“We’re as good as those, and our people are just as good, if not better, so why should they be paid less?” he said.

MSU spokesman Terry Denbow said Simon was unavailable for comment Monday.

Although Simon’s salary remains in the lower half of the conference, some students were unsure why she received a raise when tuition and fees increased this fall and will increase on student bills again in the summer.

“I can understand (the raise), I guess if she’s in the middle,” no-preference sophomore Erik Gudding said. “It makes a little bit of sense, but at the same time, taking it out of students pockets is kind of wrong too.”

However, MSU Trustee Donald Nugent said tuition increases and presidential raises aren’t comparable.

“It’s not the same,” he said. “If you took the actual dollars, that’s really not a good comparison at all. If you’re going to have quality people, you need to be competitive in the pay.”

Although some students might see a presidential raise as unfair, global and area studies senior Maranda Clark said she understands why Simon’s salary increased.

“To get her to stay, unfortunately, that’s the way you get people to do what you want,” Clark said. “You give them more money.”