Head coaches for Grinnell College men’s athletics teams earn, on average, $8,478 more than head coaches for women’s teams, the 2023 Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA) Report reveals. The report does not examine the reasons why this disparity exists, and College officials contacted by The S&B declined to provide any information about salaries.
The EADA Report documents that on average, head coaches for men’s and women’s teams make $38,918 and $30,440, respectively. These numbers are calculated using a sample of 10 coaches per category across 10 sports — the report splits indoor and outdoor track and field into 2 separate teams. This average salary denotes coaching duties only, as some coaches have institutional jobs in addition to coaching which affects their overall compensation.
Eight out of nine head coaches for men’s sports teams are men, and five out of nine head coaches for women’s teams are women, according to information provided in the athletic staff directory.
The S&B contacted seven different head coaches, all of whom either did not respond to interview requests or declined to comment for this story. Holly Roepke, director of athletics and recreation, wrote to The S&B that she would not comment on salaries.
According to Ellen de Graffenreid, vice president of communication and marketing, “Grinnell doesn’t comment on personnel matters, and salaries are included in the policy.” She also wrote to The S&B that “there’s really no way to speak to the difference in average salaries without disclosing details about individual circumstances, duties or other appointments.”
Jana Grimes, vice president of human resources, outlined the general philosophy and process for determining staff compensation, which includes “ensuring that we are balancing internal equity and external market competitiveness.” Grimes wrote in an email to The S&B that “we do this by looking at similarly situated positions on campus and individuals within, or being considered for, these positions and evaluating the relative pay in relation to: education, skills required vs. skills possessed and demonstrated through experience, experience and time in position and performance.”
Grimes added that the office of human resources routinely evaluates and analyzes survey data and other benchmarking sources in higher education and similar institutions. “We balance this analysis with the need to be mindful of the overall budget,” Grimes wrote.
The EADA Report also indicates recruiting, game-day and total expenses for individual teams during the 2022-2023 school year.
