Some University of Pittsburgh executives including Chancellor Mark Nordenberg and Provost James Maher have decided to donate at least some of their retention bonuses earned during the last year back to Pitt, given the economic slump, the university said today.

In the fiscal year ended June 30, Mr. Nordenberg accrued $75,000 for remaining in his position another year. And Dr. Maher accrued $50,000 for the same period. The compensation committee of Pitt's board of trustees has authorized the deferred yearly payments in recent years.

A campus publication said the two were among a number of university officers who planned to donate their bonuses.

The University Times article quoted Pitt spokesman Robert Hill that the returned bonuses would go to the ongoing capital campaign. Reached today, Mr. Hill said he was unsure whether the individuals were giving back all of their bonuses or keeping some.

Pitt, as a number of universities, has frozen employee salaries or asked workers to forgo raises in light of the recession.