To save a little money, President Roderick McDavis, his cabinet and deans on all Ohio University campuses have agreed to take a salary freeze for the fiscal year 2008, beginning in June. These 27 people will save the university about $150,000, which amounts to about $5,000 per person and totals about one typical administrative salary at OU.
While this is a good move to cut costs at a time when the university is looking at a large budget deficit, $150,000 is a drop in the bucket when considering the millions OU spends every year. OU needs to take more steps to save money, including spreading out the pain of budget cuts so that administrators feel them, too.
For starters, the salary freeze should go into effect for every single OU administrator. With the proliferation of OU administrative positions ' about one for every 20 students ' this could go a long way toward saving money. And after those funds have come in, OU can start cutting some of the administrative positions that aren't necessary to improve the quality of life or education on campus.
That means positions like Bill Sams' and Robert Glidden's have to go. Sams, as executive in residence makes $133,588 until his contract expires at the end of this year. He was CIO when hackers got a hold of 173,000 student and alumni records, and was not forced to leave the university, unlike two administrators under him. Former OU President Robert Glidden is making $250,000 over three years to do fundraising five days a month ' or $83,333 a year for 60 days of work.
OU should be applauded for spending less money, even though this smacks of a public relations maneuver. If OU continues this pattern of reducing administrative costs, perhaps the day will come when OU can pay faculty more competitive salaries and improve OU's academic standing.
But there is one thing that needs to be kept in mind: OU students, your parents and professors lied to you. You actually can get paid big money to do almost nothing. You just have to get hired at OU.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Post executive editors.
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Salary freeze only saves $150,000; participation from all administrators would make difference
