Getting behind the salary surge: public university leaders sign on in increasingly political and...

Wanted: dynamic business leader and academic visionary, with boundless energy, excellent communication skills, political shrewdness, and keen business acumen, to lead high-profile public university into a new era. The ideal candidate should be tireless, detail-oriented, comfortable with intense media pressure, possess strong negotiating skills, and be able to spearhead an aggressive fundraising campaign. Long hours, a fishbowl existence, and nagging headaches are position perks. Compensation: less than that at a private institution.

When University of Michigan President