Letter: University pay scale seems out of whack

Sunday, Dec. 23, 2007 | 6:55 a.m.

Regarding Charlotte Hsu's articles in Friday's Las Vegas Sun, "Schools cut, leaders collect big paychecks" and "Paychecks, then perks and perks":

As a taxpayer I found the information contained in Ms. Hsu's articles very alarming. Who is minding the store? Apparently, Regent Steve Sisolak feels the Nevada university system is paying too much for its presidents.

"When we had the presidential searches for UNLV and UNR there was no shortage of applicants," Sisolak, a member of the Board of Regents, said in the article. "I don't know the difference between a $400,000 president and a $300,000 president. I think they're both quality people."

If this was the case, why are we paying so much money for the two new presidents? I think the regents should explain why the current compensation is more than $300,000. Obviously the difference is $100,000 in taxpayer funds.

In addition, what kind of contracts are the regents signing? A four-year deal is a four-year deal. The president stays and commits to four years, or if he leaves he must pay to the school a percentage of the remaining years on the contract times the salary, as a penalty. Currently, the deal is totally one-sided. The university system needs a commitment, not someone who is job-hopping to make more money.

The real success of a university is its professors. Start paying more for the teachers, not the administrators, and UNLV's ranking would improve dramatically. The excellent schools have outstanding professors, not high-paid administrators.

Voters should replace regents who want to spend so much on presidents and negotiate one-sided contracts with regents who are fiscally responsible to the taxpayers.

Thomas B. Krasky, Las Vegas