Southeast Missouri State University President Kala Stroup refused a more than $7,000 pay hike offered by the Board of Regents, settling instead for a $3,540 salary increase for this fiscal year.

With the increase, Stroup will receive a $121,540 salary for the 1995 fiscal year.

The Board of Regents approved Stroup's salary and the salaries of other university personnel on June 15.

School officials disclosed the salaries Friday after salary letters were mailed to university employees.

Stroup said Friday that she felt it would be wrong to accept a bigger raise at this time.

"What I said to the board was that I appreciated their confidence in my leadership, but that I thought it was more appropriate for me to get the average of the executive-administrative unit, and the lowest percentage that was given to any category."

The university's top officials and other administrative personnel received pay raises based on merit. But those pay hikes amount to about 3.3 percent on average for administrative personnel and 3 percent for the school's top executives, budget figures show.

Faculty will receive, on average, about a 4.1 percent salary hike, consisting of a 3 percent-across-the-board raise plus merit pay.

Clerical, technical and service employees will receive a 4 percent pay hike on average, involving a 2 percent across-the-board raise plus merit pay.

Dollarwise, Stroup's pay raise is less than some others given members of her executive staff, budget figures show.

Provost Charles Kupchella received the largest pay raise -- a $4,200 hike that puts his salary at $94,200. Kupchella ranks third in salary behind Stroup and Ken Dobbins, Southeast's executive vice president.

Dobbins will make $96,820 this fiscal year, an increase of $2,820 over last year.

Regent Donald Dickerson of Cape Girardeau said Friday that the board had been willing to give Stroup a more than $7,000 increase, and had even talked about giving her a "merit bonus."

Last year, Stroup received an $8,800 salary hike. Since becoming president of Southeast on July 1, 1990, Stroup has seen her salary increase by more than $19,000.

Dickerson said Stroup objected to a larger salary hike because of university budget considerations, including the fate of the $14 million business building project whose construction depends on voters approving a statewide bond issue next month.

Dickerson said board members were impressed by Stroup's actions.

"I think to Dr. Stroup's credit, she is very concerned about the general welfare of the university and its financial situation," said Dickerson.

"We do need to pass the bond issue and build the business building," he said.

Dickerson said Stroup is deserving of the salary she makes.

"I don't see that as being in the least extravagant," he said. "We have felt that our president should be at least in line with some of the other regional universities."

In addition to her salary, Stroup gets other benefits, including Wildwood -- the university-provided house that has been home to Southeast's presidents since 1924.

Regent Ann Dombrowski of Cape Girardeau offered nothing but praise for Stroup. "We are extremely pleased with her job and what she has done this year.

"In fact, we were elated, but the finances of the university were such that we could not go out of line with what we were giving everybody else," Dombrowksi said.

Both she and Dickerson said Stroup has represented the university well in her dealings with state lawmakers.

"She has done a good job for us in Jefferson City, presenting our university in a favorable light," Dombrowski said.

Dickerson said Stroup has also assembled a "top-flight" administrative team and is a hard worker.

"I doubt seriously that most people realize that she works practically day and night because there are so many functions which a university president feels they need to participate in and attend," he said.

"I think she is doing a really fine job for us," Dickerson said.

TOP SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY SALARIES AT A GLANCE

Kala Stroup, president, $121,540

Ken Dobbins, executive vice president, $96,820

Charles Kupchella, provost, $94,200

Gerald McDougall, dean of the College of Business Administration, $85,990

SueAnn Strom, vice president of student affairs, $84,460

Paul Keys, dean of the College of Health and Human Services, $80,000

Martin Jones, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, $76,464

Jesse Snowden, dean of the College of Science and Technology, $76,336

Sheila Caskey, dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Extended Learning, $75,060

John Hinni, dean of the School of University Studies, $72,797

Shirley Stennis-Williams, dean of the College of Education, $72,000

Don Ford, director of university development, $70,988

Ron Shumate, basketball coach, $70,059

Fred Snider, dean of admissions and records, $67,218

Richard McDuffie, athletics director, $66,396

James Biundo, assistant vice president for university relations, $64,684

William Duffy, assistant vice president of financial affairs, $64,684

David Ross, director of the Show Me Center, $62,624

Al Stoverink, physical plant director, $60,770.

James Zink, director of Kent Library, $59,023

Patricia Volp, assistant vice president of student development, $56,131

Don Krueger, director of the computer center, $55,700

Michael Dougherty, director of personnel services, $55,343

Art Wallhausen, assistant to the president, $54,831

Leonard Clark, assistant to the president, $54,831

Jack Sterrett, interim director of career planning and placement, $51,500

Robert Ritschel, director of the Bootheel Education Center, $51,418

Michael McCallister, director of sponsored programs, $50,882

Note: Stennis-Williams became the dean of the College of Education last month. Keys is scheduled to begin his job as dean of the College of Health and Human Services on Aug. 1.

Source: Southeast Missouri State University