[Vision2020] UI, bSU, ISU Presidents Receive Pay Raises

[Tom Hansen]

"Both Bob Kustra at BSU and Arthur Vailas at ISU will receive an
additional $37,000 in pay via the foundations at their respective schools.
President Dene Thomas at Lewis-Clark State College received a bump in pay
absent the foundation money based on LCSC's smaller foundation."

Tha't right, V-peeps (nice monicker, Area Man).  During these extremely
tight economic times, while many staff and faculty employees at UI are
merely hoping for pay cuts, in lieu of a pink slip, our university
presidents are receiving pay raises ($37,000 each).

And who's to blame for this financial bonanza?  Read on.

Courtesy of today's (June 26, 2009) Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

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Everyone in Idaho saw this one coming.

Once the State Board of Education gave the University of Idaho the OK to
use foundation money to lure in new President Duane Nellis, it was only a
matter of time before the state's other institutions asked for the same
opportunity.

That permission came last week, when the board approved changes to the
compensation packages for the presidents at Boise State and Idaho State
universities.

Certainly, the board was presented an issue of equitable pay when it came
time to boost the salaries at BSU and ISU. Since this is Idaho, you can be
pretty sure there was a bit of that intrastate rivalry that dominates
entirely too much of the politics behind education.

Both Bob Kustra at BSU and Arthur Vailas at ISU will receive an additional
$37,000 in pay via the foundations at their respective schools. President
Dene Thomas at Lewis-Clark State College received a bump in pay absent the
foundation money based on LCSC's smaller foundation.

Now that the board has played catch-up with all its presidents, the
governing board would do well to remember why the restrictions on
foundation money had been built into the presidential pay plans. There
were concerns, played out for all to see just a few years back with the
University Place fiasco, that presidents needed to have a clear idea of
who they worked for.

The presence of foundation money was determined to be a point of confusion
in that regard.

While there may have been some truth to that argument and there was plenty
of blame to go around, the real problem never was the foundations - it was
the state board.

University Place reached the level it did because the state board didn't
provide the oversight and demand the accountability that its mission over
the institutions of higher education mandates. The foundations are back in
the picture for presidential paychecks, and the board would do well to
recognize last week's decision puts more responsibilities back on their
plate.

And that's where it always has belonged.

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EFF 'em!

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change
and the Realist adjusts his sails."

- Unknown