The University of Pennsylvania's Amy Gutmann again was among the highest-compensated private college presidents in the country, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education's annual salary survey, released today.

The Ivy League president, who has led Penn since 2004, earned $1.22 million in 2007-08, the most recent year available - $825,000 in salary and the rest in benefits. She was the eighth-highest-paid president of a private research university, down from sixth place a year earlier, the Chronicle reported. Of all private colleges, she was 12th-highest-paid.

Overall, the Chronicle report found that median pay for private university presidents increased 6.5 percent, to $358,746. At private research universities, it was up 15.5 percent, to $627,750.

Among local private college presidents, Gutmann's salary was not the highest, however. Two other local presidents were paid more in salary, although their overall compensation was less than Gutmann's.

The late Constantine Papadakis, Drexel's legendary leader who was credited with transforming the university, received $1.04 million, $897,500 of which was salary, and John A. Fry, president of Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster brought in $1.06 million - $863,885 in salary.

Fry, who has led the 2,200-student liberal-arts college for seven years, placed 20th in the country in the survey, just ahead of Papadakis, who died in April after a long battle with lung cancer.

"John really deserves what he receives, and we at the college are very lucky and proud to have him as our president," said Don Ziegler, vice chairman of the board of trustees and past chair of the compensation committee.

Ziegler noted that Fry's salary included $372,000 in deferred compensation that was accrued over his first five years as president. By staying at the school and meeting his goals, he was eligible for the money at the end of the fifth year, Ziegler said.

Under Fry's leadership, the school saw a 53 percent increase in applications to more than 5,600 last year, Ziegler said. Quality of the student body also improved, with a 63-point gain in average math and reading SAT score to 1,311, he said.

Gutmann leads one of the largest institutions in the country, with a $5 billion-plus budget, more than 20,000 faculty and staff members, and a major school of medicine and health system.

The Chronicle's salary survey included some surprises.

Former Cabrini College president Antoinette Iadarola placed 11th in the country, with $1.23 million in total compensation.

School officials, however, note that Iadarola, who was the first lay president of the Catholic college, was paid slightly more than $400,000 in salary.

The rest was deferred compensation accumulated over her 16-year tenure and included money for two sabbaticals she was entitled to and did not take.

"She was a 16-year president who professionalized a small college and grew enrollment and budget," Cabrini spokesman Dan DiPrinzio said.

Iadarola oversaw the construction of several buildings and started an endowment, which now exceeds $10 million, he said.

Also today, the Chronicle released a report on 58 colleges nationwide that exceeded the $50,000 mark in tuition and room and board. Only five colleges had exceeded that price last year, the paper noted.

Local schools among the group, according to the Chronicle, were Haverford, $50,975; Franklin & Marshall, $50,140; Bucknell $50,230; Lafayette, $50,289; Dickinson, $50,219; and Bryn Mawr, $50,034.

The publication will release a separate report on president salaries at public universities in January.

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