The interim president of Kentucky State University, Raymond Burse, has taken a significant pay cut to raise the wages of minimum wage employees on campus.
According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, Burse slashed his $349,869 annual salary by $90,000 to provide funds for the raises. The higher pay rate for current employees, which goes into effect immediately, will apply to new hires, too.
Burse was previously president of Kentucky State in the 1980s before leaving to work as a senior executive for General Electric, according to Vox. He will remain in the interim position for a year while the board looks for a permanent replacement for the previous president, who retired in June.
"This is not a publicity stunt. You don't give up $90,000 for publicity. I did this for the people. This is something I've been thinking about from the very beginning," Burse told the newspaper.
Read more at the Lexington Herald-Leader and Vox.