6 ms·

Or perhaps the average salary of non-administrative and non-exec workers. And 10x seems like an arbitrary (and large) multiplier. What justifies it? What does

by just2n 13y ago

Or perhaps the average salary of non-administrative and non-exec workers. And 10x seems like an arbitrary (and large) multiplier. What justifies it? What does the president of a University do that adds that much value to a University? I remember ours made over $300k and all he did was go to parties thrown by wealthy Alums, give public speeches, and otherwise be a politician at council meetings. By comparison, entry level IT there was $30k, "programming" was $40-50k, and senior in either was capped at $55k essentially. And IIRC, the professor salaries were similarly pathetic. I never understood how a public University justifies paying an administrator (something like a glorified answering machine that can make Excel spreadsheets) double what it pays someone who builds and maintains the infrastructure the school needs to function. Especially when the latter often must wear 10+ hats and train themselves on their own time just so they can do the job adequately.

WalterBright 13y ago
> What does the president of a University do that adds that much value to a University? He's the chief fundraiser for it, and head salesman.
- just2n 13y ago
  For a small arm of a large federated public University? The vast majority of income to the University was from public funding, tuition, and sales on campus. He was never involved in working with state legislation to try to get us more funding -- that happened at a higher level in the University system. The large independent contributions happen regardless, and had mostly happened before his time (you know, buying a new building for the University and having it named after you). The President was so far divorced from students that almost nobody could actually recognize him. He wasn't the reason anyone attended the school. Every alum I know has never heard of him outside of public speaking engagements. Every faculty member and staff member on campus I talked to (and I worked there for 3 years, it was a small University) had almost 0 interaction with him. How is he fundraising, and who is he selling what to? I saw absolutely 0 justification that he was earning the salary of 1 sanitary worker, let alone 5x the highest amount they paid any skilled worker on campus.
zem 13y ago
you'd be amazed at how much return-on-investment the president gets by going to parties thrown by wealthy alumni. the underlying malaise is that the college typically relies on donations from said alumni to an unhealthy extent, but given that it's pretty much one of the president's duties to go charm money out of them.
- just2n 13y ago
  Putting aside the fact that the budget for that particular small public state funded University didn't require more than the public funding and tuition, that premise seems odd. If the justification for someone's salary is "they make us that much money", then why would the University refuse to compensate an IT worker who demonstrably saved the school $50,000+ a year by having extraordinary skills for their position? Or why can't there be Alumni relations staff that only exist to cater to Alumni and extract as many donations as possible? Why does it make sense that the President would do that? Does Obama, to make a stretch comparison, raise all democratic party donations himself? It seems a silly thought. And if he did, would it justify giving him a salary of some outrageous number, just so long as we point out that he raises more money than he costs? Say, $20,000,000/yr salary and he brings in $90,000,000? I'm all for profit sharing, but that brings up an even bigger question: why is there only a single person in the University being given the option of profit sharing? In a place where raises didn't happen for nigh on 10 years straight and bonuses were unheard of, if you could generate more value for the University than your cost, in multiplicity, you should see part of it. It's not OK to do that for the independently wealthy white man running the University with a base salary of $300,000, allowances upwards of $250,000 and a paid-for home while keeping the guy making $40,000/yr who just kept you from needing to buy $100,000 in software and consulting from seeing a single additional penny. It's completely unfair and there isn't any valid justification I can imagine would ever be presented to explain it.
  - zem 13y ago
    i'm not arguing that the president deserves an outrageous salary, i was simply pointing out that "attending parties thrown by wealthy alumni" was not an example of his taking the money and not doing his job, even though it may seem so on the surface.

by just2n 13y ago

WalterBright 13y ago

> What does the president of a University do that adds that much value to a University? He's the chief fundraiser for it, and head salesman.

just2n 13y ago
For a small arm of a large federated public University? The vast majority of income to the University was from public funding, tuition, and sales on campus. He was never involved in working with state legislation to try to get us more funding -- that happened at a higher level in the University system. The large independent contributions happen regardless, and had mostly happened before his time (you know, buying a new building for the University and having it named after you). The President was so far divorced from students that almost nobody could actually recognize him. He wasn't the reason anyone attended the school. Every alum I know has never heard of him outside of public speaking engagements. Every faculty member and staff member on campus I talked to (and I worked there for 3 years, it was a small University) had almost 0 interaction with him. How is he fundraising, and who is he selling what to? I saw absolutely 0 justification that he was earning the salary of 1 sanitary worker, let alone 5x the highest amount they paid any skilled worker on campus.

zem 13y ago

you'd be amazed at how much return-on-investment the president gets by going to parties thrown by wealthy alumni. the underlying malaise is that the college typically relies on donations from said alumni to an unhealthy extent, but given that it's pretty much one of the president's duties to go charm money out of them.

just2n 13y ago
Putting aside the fact that the budget for that particular small public state funded University didn't require more than the public funding and tuition, that premise seems odd. If the justification for someone's salary is "they make us that much money", then why would the University refuse to compensate an IT worker who demonstrably saved the school $50,000+ a year by having extraordinary skills for their position? Or why can't there be Alumni relations staff that only exist to cater to Alumni and extract as many donations as possible? Why does it make sense that the President would do that? Does Obama, to make a stretch comparison, raise all democratic party donations himself? It seems a silly thought. And if he did, would it justify giving him a salary of some outrageous number, just so long as we point out that he raises more money than he costs? Say, $20,000,000/yr salary and he brings in $90,000,000? I'm all for profit sharing, but that brings up an even bigger question: why is there only a single person in the University being given the option of profit sharing? In a place where raises didn't happen for nigh on 10 years straight and bonuses were unheard of, if you could generate more value for the University than your cost, in multiplicity, you should see part of it. It's not OK to do that for the independently wealthy white man running the University with a base salary of $300,000, allowances upwards of $250,000 and a paid-for home while keeping the guy making $40,000/yr who just kept you from needing to buy $100,000 in software and consulting from seeing a single additional penny. It's completely unfair and there isn't any valid justification I can imagine would ever be presented to explain it.
- zem 13y ago
  i'm not arguing that the president deserves an outrageous salary, i was simply pointing out that "attending parties thrown by wealthy alumni" was not an example of his taking the money and not doing his job, even though it may seem so on the surface.