Today, Bruce Evans, Chairman of the Vanderbilt University Board of Trust, issued the following statement on executive compensation in 2016:
“During the past decade, Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos has led Vanderbilt University to be recognized as a top academic research university committed to delivering a world-class education to all qualified students. His commitment to accessibility, affordability and diversity has built a strong foundation for generations of students, faculty and staff to come.
“Chancellor Zeppos has also been an extremely effective advocate for investment in the university’s priorities. Since he became chancellor in 2008, contributions to the university’s endowment have doubled, with more than $1 billion of new investments. He has spearheaded the university’s no-loan financial aid program, Opportunity Vanderbilt. Since its launch in 2009, Opportunity Vanderbilt has significantly reduced students’ potential debt by replacing need-based undergraduate student loans with grants and scholarships. For Opportunity Vanderbilt alone, $296 million in gifts to the program have supported 9,000 students.
“Chancellor Zeppos also leads by example and has personally been a generous financial supporter of the university. He and his wife Lydia Howarth’s personal giving to numerous scholarships, fellowships and capital projects underscores his deep commitment to Vanderbilt and the powerful progress that result when combining philanthropy and vision.
“Highly successful and accomplished university leaders like Chancellor Zeppos are in high demand and are often recruited heavily to lead other major universities around the world. Chancellor Zeppos’ compensation reflects the Vanderbilt University Board of Trust’s belief in his vision and his ability to continue to steward the university – investing in leading-edge research and educating and deploying diverse leaders – to address society’s most pressing issues. His 2016 compensation includes a one-time incentive payment related to his accomplishments as Vanderbilt’s leader.”