University of Washington Pres gets million-$ sabbatical, 700 UW employees get pink slips

[Hannah Bell]

IT MUST be rough! University of Washington (UW) President Mark Emmert hasn't received a raise in two years. He has to "get by" on his 2007 salary of $906,500 per year plus perks (free mansion, $12,000 per year car allowance, etc.).

Emmert can take comfort in the $340,000 per year he gets for sitting on corporate boards. He can also feel better about himself knowing that he is the second-highest paid public university president in the U.S.

The UW Board of Regents took pity on poor Mr. Emmert, however. They decided that giving him a raise in this time of economic crisis and budget cuts would be a PR nightmare--so instead they gave him an extra sabbatical worth nearly a million dollars! They also extended his contract for five years, retroactive to August 21--and have left open the prospect of a raise for him next year.

It's nice that Emmert is making such a "sacrifice" to stay at UW. And it's fitting, since he is making his employees and students sacrifice as well. Due to the state budget crisis and the failure of the Democratic Party-controlled legislature to raise taxes on the rich, UW got hit with a $73 million cut in the 2009-2010 fiscal year. The president and Board of Regents decided not to cut top administrative salaries or dip into their endowment. Instead they cut 700 positions (janitors, office workers, etc.), reduced the number of teaching assistants and raised tuition 14 percent for each of the next two years.

http://socialistworker.org/2009/09/09/emmerts-sweetheart-deal

[MadMaddie]

1. Another indication that something is terribly wrong in this

country.

And oh by the way this guy is one of the highest paid Washington officials in the state.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

2. ARREST HIS TYPE

[Thothmes]

4. He is not the one committing the crime

the University Board is the that is dealing out these pay and benefit packages. The Legislature and the Governor of the State of Washington are the ones that permit it. Ultimately, the people of the State of Washington, sit on their butts and allow the State Government and the University to get away with it. His only crime is that he took the job.

[anonymous171]

3. Our state is so fucked up for a blue state nt

[blindpig]

7. So, what is the value of this 'blue'?

Ya gotta wonder....

[Selatius]

5. Somebody should throw Mark Emmert under a bus. Not just an ordinary bus, a yellow school bus.

Methinks there might be a conflict of interest between the UW president and the Board of Regents. If the Board is stacked with friends of Emmert, then naturally they will give him a raise and gut the workforce and soak the students to pay for it.

This is like in the private sector where a person can literally be chairman of the board and CEO at the same time, which theoretically is a conflict of interest, since the CEO reports to the board and gets his salary from said board.

[aquart]

6. HE'S NOT WORTH IT.

[lunatica]

8. the same thing has happened at all ten campuses of the University of California