PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The former president of Oregon Health & Science University will receive $913,000 in annual pension - the top public pension in Oregon - according to an updated pension roll.
The Oregon Public Employees Retirement System pays more than $76,000 each month to Joe Robertson, the retired president of OHSU, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported Thursday.
Robertson retired at the end of last October after working for the university for 33 years. His long career at the university and high salary in his last three years, which averaged nearly $1.7 million, were factors of his high pension.
Robertson’s pension surpasses that of university neurosurgeon Johnny Delashaw, who retired in 2015 and receives annual benefits of nearly $685,000. It also exceeds the pension of former University of Oregon football coach Mike Bellotti, who retired in 2010 and receives about $559,000 in annual benefits.
The state retirement system releases the updated pension roll each year to the newspaper. The updated database includes information on nearly 130,000 people receiving pension benefits as of January.
Recent retirees receive on average about $32,000 annually through the state system. About 2,000 beneficiaries earn more than $100,000 each year.
The 66-year-old retiree isn’t fully retired. Robertson is continuing to serve as president through the end of the academic year without a salary. He also plans to continue his work with one of the university’s health institutes.
“The only reason I’m retiring is for health reasons,” Robertson said. “This isn’t a job, it’s a lifestyle, and you have to be all in.”
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Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com
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