Salary inequities continue to get worse at universities and colleges across the United States.  Over the past generation, the number of administrators have grown, while faculty numbers have remained almost constant.  Those administrators’ salaries have also ballooned, while faculty salaries have flat-lined (adjusting for inflation).

Now, the American Association for University Professors (AAUP) has published a new annual salary report showing that university presidents’ salaries have continued to increase during the latest recession (academic years 2007-2008 through 2010-2011).  The AAUP reports that “During this recessionary period, the average salary increase for presidents was twice the average faculty salary increase at public institutions and nearly three times the faculty salary increase at private institutions. Such a disproportionate increase in compensation for a single individual is an indication of misplaced institutional priorities—especially when faculty members and other higher education employees have been faced with involuntary unpaid furloughs, hiring and salary freezes, and cuts to benefits.”

See the AAUP’s summary or the entire 2010-2011 report online.  See the Chronicle of Higher Education or the New York Times for additional reporting on this issue.

Faculty and graduate students at Northern Illinois University should be aware of the issues raised by the AAUP’s report.