A processing error during a software transition led to Grand Valley State University President Philomena Mantella’s salary being incorrectly reported in 2024.

The University’s salary book for the 2024 academic year was published in November 2024. The document should have marked Mantella’s salary $517,500, but a processing error failed to account for raises, instead listing the number as $480,000. Administrators say the discrepancy is the result of the University’s account system switching to Workday.

The originally listed amount conflicted with many news articles that reported the 2024 salary as $500,000. An email to the President’s Office was sent Dec. 16, 2025, asking for clarification. The following day, the book was updated, displaying the salary as $517,500.

Mantella was hired as GVSU’s fifth president in 2019. In accordance with Mantella’s contract, her salary was $480,000 upon hiring. In 2022, the contract was amended to extend her term from 2024 to 2029. This amendment also included a raise to $500,000, effective July 1, 2024. The raise was noted in a GVNext article.

In 2025, Board of Trustees Chair Elizabeth Emmitt issued a letter July 11, awarding the president with a 3% raise effective Aug. 6. The letter also mentioned a 3.5% raise from July 12, 2024.

The Associate Vice President of University Communications Chris Knape explained how the error occurred. During the University’s switch from Banner to Workday, a human processing error reportedly caused the mistake.

“The University is working to ensure we don’t repeat the mistake,” Knape said.

Knape’s statement was reiterated in communication from Robert Shorty, vice president of People, Equity and Culture. The division oversees human resources, the department responsible for the salary books. 

Bob Hollister, chair of the Faculty Salary and Budget Committee (FSBC), monitors the salaries of the president and vice presidents, and was surprised by the error when made aware. He began logging salaries in 2020 when two vice presidents received significant raises.

“I was surprised she (Mantella) kept the same salary in 2024,” Hollister said. “Clearly she didn’t.”

Hollister raised other concerns surrounding salary books aside from input errors. 

The legislation requiring public universities in Michigan to publish annual salary books was passed in 2023, but such documents have been around prior to that date. According to legislation, Section 241a of the State School Aid Act of 1979, the state treasurer may withhold funds if data is not submitted by a set date. 

GVSU’s salary books released before 2023 are not posted online, but reportedly contain data not seen in recent salary books.

A major difference in most post-2023 salary books is the exclusion of the names of employees. Before the books were required to be published, they included the name of the employee receiving each salary. Recent salary books posted online only include employee positions, which can make parsing through the information difficult. A printed copy of the 2024 salary book did include names while a printed 2025 edition was consistent with its online version in excluding names. 

Shorty said the exclusion of names is a safety measure in compliance with state requirements.

“Out of concern for employee privacy, names are not included in the most recent salary books,” Shorty said. 

Larger state universities in Michigan including the University of Michigan and Wayne State University include names in their salary books, while smaller state universities tend to exclude names.

Other significant changes came after the University switched to Workday. In past years, salary books included base salary and gross salary — base salary plus bonuses. After Workday was implemented, salary books only have disclosed base salaries, meaning bonuses go unreported. Universities must disclose salaries and wages, but are not required to include gross pay.

U-M and Wayne State display gross pay, with many smaller universities excluding bonuses. Wayne State’s most recent salary book shows the president’s base salary at $717,600, and includes a $157,500 bonus.

Hollister believes the exclusion of gross salaries was done temporarily during the transition, but fears it has become procedure. When asked if the University intends to document gross salaries, Shorty stated that human resources will continue looking into how they present data. Shorty noted the University follows all legal requirements outlined in Michigan legislation.

Benefits in addition to Mantella’s base salary, such as a University residence and vehicle, have not been released to the public. Neither Mantella’s original contract nor amendment are available online, however, a copy of the president’s contract was obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The University’s president is required to live in the presidential residence during their term. In 2023, GVSU sold its presidential mansion, home to former presidents, in East Grand Rapids for $1.6M.  The location and value of Mantella’s current residence, and vehicle cost have not been disclosed.

These benefits are standard for most university presidents, but are far greater than those of regular faculty and staff.