Halt the hike

The 10 chancellors at the University of California were this close to getting a whopping salary boost, from 13 percent to 17 percent (and without any public input) approved just a few weeks ago. Thankfully, the unconscionable plan was tabled until January once the UC regent’s compensation committee figured out—big surprise!—that the idea was going to meet with controversy.

Why would UC system administrators propose a giant pay boost for its execs just as California is found to be facing a $10 billion budget deficit?

Because people like UC President Robert Dynes don’t get it. They think UC should pay its top administrators what is considered the “market” level paid by similar institutions and are blind to other considerations. The claim is that execs at the UC campuses are paid an average of 33 percent below comparable universities and that equity is needed for recruitment purposes.

Baloney. UC reportedly had no trouble recruiting for its recent three openings for chancellor posts at UCLA, Santa Cruz and Merced. The honor of serving as a UC chancellor should be payment enough in itself, especially if one is already pulling down a $300,000 annual salary, as is UC Davis’ Larry Vanderhoef. Let’s hope a January opposition forms (students? faculty? staff? taxpayers?) to fight this outrageous proposal.