We’re struggling to survive’: student debt still weighing down people over 30

[mike_c]

3. I'm starting my 20th year at my current university in August....

It's the largest university in the U.S., and employs roughly 26,000 faculty on 23 campuses and other facilities. There is no way my salary will pass six figures before I retire. Not even close. And I'm a tenured full professor (admittedly only a few years from retirement). There are very few faculty in this system making the sorts of salaries you describe, and the majority make less than $35,000 annually.

Administrative salaries are utterly bloated-- if that's your point then I completely agree. But very few faculty make the sorts of salaries you mentioned, and let's be frank-- most of those who do are experts in their fields and can command those salaries because they know their shit.