Despite increased scrutiny of administrators' salaries in higher education, little is known about the determinants of executive-level compensation at universities. This study examines the individual and institutional determinants of compensation of business school deans, in the United States, with a focus on differentials between private and public university deans, in the level of remuneration and the structure of compensation. Specifically, using a Oaxaca-decomposition, I estimate that despite managing smaller, less research intensive business schools, private university business school deans earn approximately 15% more than comparable public university deans, and that they are compensated more for managing finances than for managing students.