Four university presidents made more than $1 million in the fiscal 2011-2012 year. None was from a major educational institution, which makes the compensation plans open to severe criticism.

Graham B. Spanier, who was pushed out of Pennsylvania State University after a sex scandal, topped the list at $2.9 million, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. The university’s overseers and the state should not have let him leave with the package, even if it meant a court battle.

Jay Gogue of Auburn, a mediocre school with a big football team, ranked second at $2.5 million. E. Gordon Gee ranked third. He is the president of Ohio State, another institution that has mediocre education program along with a massive football operation. Perhaps football is the factor the knits the higher paid university presidents together.

A number of other heads of “football schools” make that top 20 list of university president pay. Mary Sue Coleman of University of Michigan made $919,000, which ranked seventh last year. Mark G. Yudof of the University of California made $847,000. Bernard J. Machen of the University of Florida made $835,000. Francisco G. Cigarroa of the University of Texas system made $816,000. And Florida A&M’s chief James Ammons made $781,000.

A big and profitable sports program seems to be the way to a generous university president pay package.

A million may seem like a lot of money, but apparently it isn’t, if the university president who makes it is the equivalent of a successful football coach.

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