Throughout the years, we have often heard the phrase,” you’ve made your bed, now lie in it”. I spent over 25 years teaching at the university level, thus I come from a perspective that is grounded in a degree of experiences and observations. In my judgment, institutions of higher education are one of the most inefficient organizations that have risen to a level of dominance and prominence in our society. Often there is rampant duplication, gross misuse of resources, a blurring of priorities, and a failure to couch the workings of the institution in a context of reality. The absence of essential productivity among faculty members and administrators has become a hallmark of these institutions.
The misuse of resources is an area that characterizes the current higher education environment. Where are the priorities? In a recent edition of the local paper, The Tuscaloosa News, that included a headline about Alabama football assistant coaches being given significant salary increase. Now this is at a time when the university is pleading with donors to financially support the university. The Covid-19 pandemic has certainly had a toll on higher education and will, undoubtedly continue to have a toll in the foreseeable future. It was within the past few weeks that the Athletic Director encouraged season ticket holders and members of the support group, Tice Pride, to donate what they paid for tickets and Tide Pride fees to the Athletic Department. Obviously, this could provide some of the resources for these increases. It is unbelievable that the Offensive Coordinator, received an increase of $850,000 bringing his salary up to a measly $2.5 million. In the same article, it was reported that the Defensive Coordinator was given an increase of $25,000 bringing his salary to $1.225 million and the Special Teams Assistant Coach received an increase of $75,000 which brought his annual salary to $725,000. I am aware that the football program brings in a great deal of revenue, but it does seem at times that the tail is wagging the dog in terms of priorities and resource allocation. Is it any wonder that panic is prevalent in any discussion about the future of college football this coming fall?
In an August 7, 2020 article in the Washington Post titled, “College sports embraced reckless greed. With the coronavirus, the bill has come due”, Sally Jenkins has laid bare the culture that is pervasive, especially in the Power 5 Conferences (SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Pac 12, Big 12). Stadiums have continued to be expanded, plush locker rooms are the norm, amenities such as waterfalls, miniature golf, bowling lanes are included in football complexes. The salaries of coaches, administrators, and support staff have ballooned, and the bill is coming due. In her article Jenkins quotes a former NCAA Investigator who stated:” Schools have spent money recklessly for years. Now they’re in a position where if the season doesn’t go forward, they’re on the hook for millions…There has just been an extraordinary amount of spending on things that have very little resemblance to a university’s mission to educate and develop people.”
Continuing with the discussion of resources, let me also comment about the absence of productivity. Specifically, I am referring to the productivity of faculty members commensurate with the respective salaries that are being paid. A few years ago, I wrote a Letter to the Editor of The Tuscaloosa News, noting that there were a dramatic number of faculty and administrators at The University of Alabama who were earning in excess of $100,000 per year. In analyzing the data of that year, it became apparent that some of the highest salaries were being paid to faculty members in the Management and Marketing Department in the College of Commerce and Business Administration. Several of the faculty members were young and inexperienced, fresh out of their doctoral degree program and had never managed or marketed anything other than, perhaps, themselves. There were certainly other departments in the College of Commerce and Business Administration that paid faculty members rather exorbitant salaries. The argument put forth to justify these salaries was that if Alabama did not pay it, other universities would, and therein lies a big part of the collective problem. Higher Education as a business, is out of control. Faculty are demanding to teach fewer classes so that an average workload might consist of 5 or 4 courses in an academic year. This is indefensible and very costly. On top of this blatant abuse of available resources is the exponential growth in administrative personnel and support staff within the institutions.
The number of administrators at universities throughout the country has continued to mushroom. As these positions continue to multiply, the fiscal resources available must be spread that much thinner. The figures that were available as a composite array, were several years old, but they do allow for some reflective consideration. At the University of Alabama there is an Assistant Vice President for Construction and at the time the salaries were reported, he was earning $171, 100. There was also a Construction Project Director who was earning $113,950. Are these positions justified—perhaps in a perfect world! Not including the Vice President for Finance there were several individuals who seemed to have raising money as a primary responsibility. The Planed Giving Officer had an annual salary of $164,080, the Associate Vice President for Advancement’s salary was $157,500, the Assistant Vice President for Development had a salary of $155, 820, and the Director of Leadership Gifts’ annual salary was $122,700. The average of these four salaries was $150,025. The President of The University of Alabama had the third highest salaries among the 14 schools in the Southeastern Conference. At the time figures could be obtain, his salary was $730,000. I noted earlier that higher education is facing some difficult days ahead and the payment of high-level administrators could well be an essential part of the fuel that is leading to these inflated salaries. Again, these figures are a couple of years old, but do contribute to the point being made and were included in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Vanderbilt University had the highest presidential salary, $2,147,452, but it is a private school. The other 13 presidents are at public institutions: Texas A&M University - $1,133,333; University of Alabama - $730,000; University of Kentucky - $687,500; University of South Carolina - $635,548; Louisiana State University - $600. 000; University of Georgia - $552,487; Auburn University - $520,776; University of Florida - $505,776; Mississippi State University - $ $446,100; University of Tennessee - $434,452; University of Mississippi - $429,000; University of Missouri - $397,833; and the University of Arkansas - $339,710. Do keep in mind that several of the states noted are some of the poorest states in the country, but you would not know this from the salaries being paid to presidents and top administrators.
Universities across the country are building student living quarters (dorms) that would rival four and five-star hotels. Additionally, there is a growing phenomenon of recruiting non-residential students. International and out-of-state students pay, in many situations, double the tuition of the instate student. This practice enhances the coffers of the university and allows them to build more and more luxurious buildings to attract more and more students.
Indeed, the day of reckoning is at hand. I have only alluded to the cost of tuition and more needs to be addressed on this topic; however, we do know that student debt is in excess of $1.5 Trillion. Many students cannot make their payments due to the shrinking job market during the pandemic. With the unemployment rate being what it is due to the Coronavirus, the possibility of these bills being paid is quite unlikely. Yes, the universities made their bed and they will have to lie in it, as painful as that might be.