It’s a practice to abhor
The parallel of outlandish pay compensation from the sports industry and application to higher education seems spot on [“What price for Ichiro of higher ed?” NWFriday, Jan. 8].
Compensation is not linear. Pay the executive twice as much and is he now working twice as hard? Is he twice as smart? Is UW President Mark Emmert doing a twofold better job at UW than he did at my alma mater, Miami University? Well then, let’s give them a mansion to live in, have staff to clean and prepare food, provide transportation, pay them a million dollars and a healthy bonus too, why don’t you? When is reasonable unreasonable? This is not a practice to applaud but to abhor.
Giving a board of directors compensation oversight is an incestuous fox guarding the licentious fowl — they reward their own, behind the safety of closed doors. Where’s the leadership to say enough is enough? It surely is not coming from management — whether it’s higher education, sports or big business.
“We can’t seem to afford it even if we could find it somewhere,” they say. And so the cycle continues — our generosity knows no bounds when it’s “other people’s money.” Did some nabob suggest this is really our money?
— Marcus Smith, Woodinville
Executives need to reflect
I completely agree with Nicole Brodeur’s opinions in regard to the salary of Mark Emmert.
Of course he does not need the kind of compensation he receives to live comfortably. But this is now true of so many in this country today: People who blithely go along with it all and seem to have no moments of introspection whatsoever.
I think the power that comes with these positions just takes over and all common sense, modesty and humility go right out the window — yes, look at those bankers!
There is also no doubt in my mind that there may be other truly academic “superstars” who could fill this position and they might do so for less compensation. It wouldn’t hurt to explore this idea, would it?
— Kathleen Collins, Bellevue