Kremer criticized the way the survey is conducted, saying it was misleading because no one is required to disclose outside income earned as corporate directors or teachers. Silber's 1993-94 salary was No. 1 in the last survey done. The Chronicle collected data from federal tax returns filed by 479 of the nation's biggest and best-known colleges. The returns, the Internal Revenue Service's Form 990, do not provide a complete picture of compensation at private colleges, but they are the best source available. The survey gathered information on pay and benefits for 1994-95, the most recent year available.
Most colleges have fiscal years that end in the summer.
They have five months to complete the returns, and many get three-month extensions. Howard's tax return was unusual because the salaries it reported were for calendar 1994. Its 1994-95 return was the first to reveal Dr. Jenifer's severance payment. Alan Hermesch, a Howard spokesman, said the severance payment had been negotiated before Dr. Jenifer became president in April 1990. The university, he said, would have no further comment.