University Presidents, Pay & Student Debt

"The cost of higher education has increased dramatically resulting in a corresponding increase in student debt. It is worth considering the cause and what could be done to reduce costs without reducing the quality of education. One obvious approach is to consider whether university presidents are worth their expense. If a university president received $1 million in compensation, they would need to contribute the equivalent of 40+ adjuncts in terms of value created."

"One reply to criticisms of high president pay is that for big public universities, even a million dollar president is a tiny part of the budget. As such, cutting the presidential salary would not yield significant savings. However, something is driving up the cost of education-and it is not faculty salary."

"One major contribution to the increasing costs is the growth of the administrative sector of higher education. A study found that the public universities that have the highest administrative pay spend half as much on scholarships as they do on administration. In such situations, students go into debt being taught by adjuncts while supporting the administration."

"It is easy enough to demonize administrators. However, a university (like any organization) requires administration. Applications need to be processed, equipment needs to be purchased, programs need to be directed, state paperwork needs to be completed, the payroll must be handled and so on. There is a clear and legitimate need for administrators. However, this does not mean that all administrators are needed or that all high sa"

Higher education costs have risen sharply, increasing student debt. University president compensation is questioned by comparing it to the value created by adjunct faculty. Even if presidential pay is a small share of large public university budgets, other cost drivers remain. Administrative growth is identified as a major contributor to rising costs. A study reports that public universities with the highest administrative pay spend far less on scholarships and more on administration. This pattern leaves students paying for administration while instruction relies heavily on adjuncts. Administration is necessary for legitimate functions such as admissions processing, equipment purchasing, program direction, state paperwork, and payroll. The issue is not administration itself, but excessive or unnecessary administrative spending.

Read at A Philosopher's Blog