Faculty Salaries Elevated In Public Debate

University of Wisconsin System faulty and administrative salaries are the lowest in the Big Ten but the problem is starting to gather more needed attention around the state.

On the day that UW-Madison Commission on Faculty Compensation and Economic Benefits issued its report Report: Faculty flight a 'crisis situation' at UW-Madison , the La Crosse Tribune published a thoughtful editorial based on a story from the previous week.

The La Crosse Tribune editors wrote, Public higher education needs more support from Legislature:

...there are some signs of legislative antipathy toward higher education, which also could be a real problem in the future...

... Faculty salaries also are below peer institutions, and the university system has faced larger than average state budget cuts since 2001, making it more difficult to make up any shortfall, and guaranteeing that tuition increases will have to make up some of the differences...

...Higher education does not just help students. Universities can contribute to economic development in states — and the number of adults with advanced degrees also affects the state economy.

Legislators need to be more supportive of it.

Yes they do. Both parties. Perhaps this can be the 'signature issue' for the November, 2008 state legislative races. And while we are at it, let's include the public schools.

As I wrote on April 18, 2008 The Value of Education the knowledgeable and thoughtful business leaders in this state are all saying the same thing, "I need a trained, intelligent, thoughtful, creative workforce," or words to that effect.

Faculty salaries may not be going up but at least the issue is rising in public forums and the newspapers.

Comments

[Peter Gruett]

I don't know that people have a solid concept of the countless millions (probably billions) of dollars the state's throwing away by underfunding higher education. Unfortunately, I don't see the legislature wising up as long as they can skip from budget-crisis to budget-crisis and cry poverty every time they use the UW system as a piggy bank for tax-breaks and runaway corrections and transportation spending.

It'd be great if someone (I'd do it myself if I had the wherewithal) would start a 527 group to advocate for public higher education. It's not an elegant solution but perhaps people like Nass and Huebsch would feel a bit more enlightened if they paid a real political price for trashing the UW.

[Henry Hyde]

Oh yeah, we need to increase President Reilly's $400,000 a year salary! How about giving a few more bucks to the rest of the chancellor's who make well over $200,000 a year with a housing allowance and car? Get real. These clowns already make enough money. Have you taken a look at the massive staff at the UW System Administrative Offices? Every administrator at System makes well over a hundred grand and what do they do - Nothing!!! I have talk to staff at UW System and they tell me that on most days they sit around with nothing to do. More money? No - reduce the waste.

[Scott Sanford]

The unfortunate thing about this is that every one focuses on the few high paid administrators, and I would agree that it appears some of the salaries increases to new personnel seem excessive. The folks that are getting hurt is the researchers and educators that do the everyday work. In the last 6 years, UW facilty and acedemic staff have gotten an average salary increase of 1.8% per year and no merit raises that been allowed. So managers can not even give any reward the good people except a pat on the back and that doesn't pay bills. The legislature’s joint committee on employment relations recently decided to axe the 1% pay increase that they previously approved for April 2009. First am confussed why the state legislature should have so much power over UW salaries when they only proved ~ 25% of the funding and if we are in such a mess why doesn't the governor and representative take a pay cut or at least for go their salary increases. In private business a good owner often takes a pay cut before extending it to his employees. If our elected representatives would have the guts to axe or delay some un-needed projects we could likely get out of this financial mess without balancing it on the backs of those who are trying to make WI a better more educated place.