I read recently that public universities are finally trying to reign in the pay of chief executives. In this tough economy we have all had to make difficult decisions to make. Many of is here on sharenotes.com can’t even be sure that we can continue to afford college. So it’s nice to see executive pay fall in lockstep with the rest of us.
According to a survey released by the Chronicle of Higher Education, presidential pay packages are only now rising about 2.3 %. Compare that to over 10% in past years which was the rule rather than the exception. I for one do not know what goes into being a university president. I’ll admit it’s possible that they work for every single cent they make. However with government subsidies dwindling and tuition on the rise to compensate, it’s hard to see top execs of public institutions taking home bonuses and large increases.
According to the study 1 in 10 actually saw a decrease in pay and some even gave money back to the university. While I will agree it is nice to see, it’s also what you would expect. So for me it’s a little hard to pat someone on the back for doing the right thing. Let’s face it teachers are being cut, or furloughed, students who are already strapped are being charged more. So it’s only reasonable that the top dogs would feel the pinch as well.
Before you start feeling too badly for the presidents you should know that the average income in 08-09 was about 430K a year. Some earned as much as 700K and Ohio State’s Gordon Gee? 1.5 Million. Proponents of the educators salary would tell you that you get what you pay for. Top talent requires top pay while opponents would explain that the salary should match what is being asked of the students and faculty.
The bottom line I think is this, the big wigs at public schools are getting the message of public sentiment a lot better than wall street. Those of you on sharenotes.com at Ohio State can leave your comments and let us know if you feel like you’re getting what you pay for.
