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They're responsible for the success or failure of a whole lot of stuff that matters, even though that success or failure is difficult to measure. By contrast,
by paultopia 9y ago
They're responsible for the success or failure of a whole lot of stuff that matters, even though that success or failure is difficult to measure. By contrast, the football coach is responsible for the success or failure of something that is easy to measure, but does not matter at all---at best, and at worst is harmful (at least to the bodies and minds of the players being exploited). That seems like a pretty good standard for "real job" to me.
- cmiles74 9y agoI think it's important to keep in mind that at these high pay levels, the president is more of a figurehead whose primary role is to fundraise. In light of this, their job does seem similar in that both the president and the coach are there to help the college raise money. The responsibility you mention is delegated down to the next level.
- paultopia 9y agoI'm not convinced that's true---although I'm not sure how much my perception is reliable given that I've never been inside a president's office. That being said, at least the perception within universities is that presidents are often responsible for some very consequential decisions. The most obvious example is internal budget allocation, which can make or break entire programs.
- cmiles74 9y agoThis article from Bloomberg has lots of good quotes in it, here's one: "President Hatch's compensation over the course of his tenure reflects his exceptional leadership," trustee chair Donna Boswell said. The school has raised nearly $800 million under Hatch, she said.
- paultopia 9y agoRight, no question that fundraising is an important, perhaps the most important, part of the job. I'm just saying that making mission-critical decisions about the whole institution is also in there.