The Indiana University Board of Trustees compensation committee unanimously signed off Tuesday on a $250,000 bonus for IU President Pamela Whitten, the maximum payout allowed under her contract.
That bonus equals 25% of her salary. Whitten’s pay was lifted by $100,000 in a unanimous board vote in February, bringing her annual salary to $1 million.
The committee that approved the bonus includes chair Sage Steele, vice chair Mel Raines, and members Matt Ferguson, Steve Henke and David Hormuth.
Indiana’s board has made a habit of approving the president’s annual bonus, even after Whitten drew a 93.1% no confidence vote from IU Bloomington faculty in 2024. Her previous bonus was approved at a June 2025 meeting, with then-student trustee Kyle Seibert casting the only dissenting vote.
During the brief public portion of Tuesday’s meeting, trustees praised Whitten for her work over the past five years, the span of her presidency since she took over in July 2021.
Her tenure has included a turbulent stretch on campus. Students and faculty set up an encampment in Dunn Meadow to protest the war in Gaza from April to August of 2024.
In April, 57 protesters were arrested. The following July, IU adopted an expressive action policy that banned expressive activity during certain hours, along with other forms of protest, unless approved.
Whitten’s time in office has also overlapped with labor unrest. In 2022, the Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition staged a strike in April and May seeking higher wages. The coalition returned with a three-day strike in April 2024, beginning one day after Whitten received the faculty no-confidence vote.
The university also pointed to athletic success during Whitten’s tenure, including the IU Football national championship win during the 2025-26 school year. Head coach Curt Cignetti is under an eight-year, $105.6 million contract. If Cignetti leaves for another coaching job after Whitten has already departed IU, his buyout would be reduced by 50%.
IU’s budget for the 2026 fiscal year rose by $133 million, even as state and federal funding declined. The state cut 5% of its support and withheld another 5%.
The trustees’ next scheduled meeting is a Thursday, July 30, academic and student affairs committee virtual meeting. The next meeting open to the public is the annual organizational meeting on Aug. 14 at IU Indianapolis.
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