More news today of the growing politicization of university administrations across the United States.  While university faculty positions nationwide have remained almost stable over the past generation, administrative jobs have grown incredibly.  The Chronicle of Higher Education recently estimated the administrative expansion at 20 percent over the past 20 years!  This administrative growth includes numerous highly paid non-academic manager positions such as vice presidents, associate deans, assistant deans, and coordinators.

Today, there are reports of a newly created Special Adviser position (salary $200,000) at the University of Texas that has been given to a non-academic entrepreneurial adviser who runs his own political policy consultant group.

This story, reported in the New York Times, helps reveal why the constitution of university boards and administrative positions will determine the future of public higher education.