The raises have drawn scorn from students, lawmakers and even Governor Jerry Brown:

Brown: "That's a lot, given the retrenchment that we now all have to face."

But the Senate Education Committee rejected Democrat Leland Yee's bill that would have barred CSU executive pay raises within two years of a student fee increase or when the state reduces funding.

Yee: "It's just reprehensible that they would think so highly of adults but more than happy to throw our students to the curb and let them wallow in some of the difficulties that they're in now."

Instead, the committee approved Democrat Elaine Alquist's measure that caps such pay raises at 10 percent.

Alquist: "I'm not saying they should be paying 10 percent.  I'd be happy with two or three or five or eight percent.  But we also should not be micromanaging and not more than 10 percent is a very fair approach."

That approach was recently agreed to by CSU trustees.