Do college students know how much money their presidentearns?

We’re not talking about the income of the man in the OvalOffice, but the presidents who sign diplomas, i.e. the presidentsof universities.

Students might be surprised to learn that a top privateuniversity will pay its president a salary that reaches into theupper $800,000’s. And for most high-paying universities, thelucrative compensation for presidents is increasing at twice therate as that of the faculty.

Another disturbing thought is the pay ratio of universitypresidents to hourly-wage workers on campus. Is it fair to sign sixdigit salaries to some campus figures while leaving barely enoughin the budget to adequately pay other employees minimum wage?

While keeping our lawns trim and halls clean are clearly jobsthat do not require the education and diplomacy skills of auniversity president, these jobs and duties are absolutelynecessary to the workings of higher institutions of learning. Sucha large disparity in incomes suggests a lack of common sense inbusiness principles and a disregard in ethics.

Private universities aren’t the only ones churning outhefty salary increases to their presidents. This year, twice asmany public university presidents are being paid over $500,000— an untimely raise in pay when many states are raisingtuitions due to the lowering state funding for highereducation.

Some states have become concerned by the spike in presidentialpay and have taken steps to prevent further inflation. Floridalegislators have imposed a cap on the state’s funding for thesalaries for public university presidents. And in Ohio, a bill isunder construction that will limit the state contribution topresidents’ salaries to $130,292, matching thegovernor’s income.

Even though the responsibilities of running a university areenormous and the job requires someone with vision and competence,many cash-strapped students struggling to meet the increasing costsof tuition will not be pleased to know that their university isflushing hundreds of thousands of dollars into the account of itspresident.

Are the resources a president brings to the university so aboveand beyond the contributions of faculty, staff and campus workersas to justify these exorbitant incomes? Apparently, many boards oftrustees think the president’s pay is proportionate to thereturns.