CARBONDALE - Rita Hartung Cheng will earn a $341,000 annual base salary as Southern Illinois University Carbondale's next chancellor.

The university's board of trustees is set to approve Cheng's $28,425 monthly salary during its Dec. 10 meeting on the Carbondale campus.  In addition to the base salary, she will get a $27,500 annual housing allowance, a vehicle paid for by the university and retirement benefits paid for in full by the board of trustees, SIU President Glenn Poshard said.

Cheng, who is currently provost and vice chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, was announced as Poshard's choice for chancellor Nov. 17.  She will begin her duties for the office starting on June 1.

By contrast, SIU paid its previous chancellor hire, Fernando Treviño, a base salary of $290,000 in 2007.  Treviño was fired by Poshard after less than a year on the job.  The university is awaiting a decision from an arbitrator regarding a payout on the remainder of his contract.

Another high-dollar earner on the university's payroll is SIU men's basketball coach Chris Lowery, with a $750,000 annual salary.