What are the current salaries of University of Kentucky employees? Search this database
The highest-paid University of Kentucky employees work for UK Athletics and in the university’s administration, according to the newest available salary information from the university.
The 2024-25 salary database, obtained by the Herald-Leader through a Kentucky Open Records request, reveals the annual salary information for all university employees. Nearly 130 employees make $500,000 or more per year as a base salary.
The database includes 26,431 employees, about 1,550 more employees than last year.
Salaries listed in the database are base salaries for employees. Actual earnings may be higher based on contracts, bonuses and employee benefits.
For example, for head coaches Mark Pope (basketball) and Mark Stoops (football), the bulk of their compensation comes from the use of their name, image and likeness and rights of endorsement, not their base salary.
Pope is on a five-year contract in Lexington that’s worth $27.5 million, and Stoops receives a $9 million salary per year, according to their contracts.
Based on base salaries, the top-paid employee is UK’s football defensive coordinator Brad White, who earns $1.6 million per year.
The top-paid university administrators are Provost Robert DiPaola and Eric Monday, executive vice president for finance and administration. Both also hold the title of co-executive vice president for health affairs.
DiPaola earns $1.37 million per year, and Monday is paid $1.26 million annually.
President Eli Capilouto earns $1.1 million.
The 10 highest-paid employees at UK are:
- White: $1.6 million
- DiPaola: $1.37 million
- Mitch Barnhart, athletics director: $1.35 million
- Vince Marrow, associate football head coach: $1.3 million
- Monday: $1.26 million
- Bush Hamdan, offensive coordinator (football): $1.25 million
- Michael Sekela, professor and chief of cardiothoracic surgery: $1.25 million
- Capilouto: $1.1 million
- Mark Newman, University Advisor for Health Care Innovation and Growth: $1.1 million
- Hassan Reda, professor of surgery: $1.1 million
The average salary among all UK employees is $77,981. The median salary is $60,779.
Taxpayers in the commonwealth pay the salaries of most public employees, including those who work at UK. Those compensation figures are a public record and can be obtained through a Kentucky Open Records Act request.
The Herald-Leader obtained those records and built this searchable database.
“Part of our mission is to safeguard the public’s tax dollars. Tracking how that money is spent is a responsibility we have as the watchdog of Kentucky,” said Richard Green, the Herald-Leader’s executive editor. “That includes coaches, professors, doctors and university presidents.”
UK is one of the commonwealth’s largest employers, along with state government and UPS.
How to search the database
To search for an individual employee, type their first or last name into the “name” field and click search. The database is also searchable by college, department, salary or job title.
To see the entire salary database, click the search button without filling out any fields. From there, the database can also be sorted by name, department, position, or salary by clicking on one of the column headings.
If you are unable to see the database or having trouble accessing it, use this link to open it in your browser.
This story was originally published January 16, 2025 at 4:30 AM.