Criminal Education

as the bush administration continues to push it's alleged education program ("no child left behind" and other programs for higher ed.), college students and future students stand by idly as they are pillaged by the so-called leaders of education.

a recent article from CNN.com cites a new study by the chronicle of higher education that discovered that in 2004, 5 presidents of private american colleges and univerisities earned more than $1 million in annual compensation, and that over 50 had earned more than $500,000 (cnn.com 14, november). more disturbing is the study's findings of 139 public institutions. they found that

-23 will have total compensation packages topping $500,000 this year, up 35 percent
from a year ago.
-Another 30 will get between $400,000 and $499,999 in compensation.
-And the median compensation for the post is $360,000.

states and the federal government are currently running an enormous budget deficit. to combat the imbalance, essential programs and funding are often cut in an effort to bring the budget to equilibrium. naturally, higher education funding (i.e. scholarships, grants, and loans) are among those programs being cut.

so, if state agencies and the federal government do not have enough money to help fund their education programs that would, presumably, allow millions of deserving students to attend college, how is it that the politicians who oversee such programs can stand on the sidelines watching as college presidents' earnings increase year after year after year, while more and more students are priced out of an educational opportunity? it's an education in criminality.

politicians are almost exclusively of backgrounds of the elite. their parents went to college and had money. their grandparents came from money. and now, they are in the money and only associate with those of similar financial concerns. it may not be against the law, but it certainly goes against ethical standards that help determine what's best for you, for me, and for us.

the issue here isn't that politicians (read: bush administration and cronies) are concerned with helping people go to college. they're concerned with helping the right people go to college, which means elite, financially well-to-dos that can afford, with a little help, to put yet more money in the coffers of these academic tyrants.

in the post-enron era of corporate accountability, why is there not an equal standard for those in our government? why is systematic segregation based on socio-economic standing permitted? the rich get richer, the poor get dumber. it's a major problem with an easy solution:

Genius Solution:

sign into law earnings ceilings for administrators of public institutions. (athletes call this a "salary cap"). the ceiling can take the form of a small percentage of the total annual budget, or a fixed rate adjusted for cost of living. whichever the case, it should be standard across the board, at least for those in public institutions.

though this will not solve budgetary issues at a state or federal level, it will, over time, allow more funds to be available from, say, a general scholarship fund. over a number of years, the dollars that would have been going directly to the administrators' pocketbooks will be back where the belong, in the pockets of students and their families.


Read the entire article here: http://money.cnn.com/2005/11/11/pf/college/college_president_pay/index.htm?cnn=yes