Admin BLOAT 2014 Edition
Updated: Mar 29, 2021
This article by Peter C. Herman back in 2014 nicely summed up the priorities of the CSU administration and the fallout of the their decisions after the 2008 financial crisis. In summary: while the number of full time faculty (you know, the people who teach classes and do research) fell, management grew both in numbers and salary. And, grotesquely, this was occurring while faculty and staff were bending over backwards in the recession to do the job of the university by taking pay cuts, teaching bigger classes and working with fewer staff.
https://timesofsandiego.com/opinion/2014/10/31/administrative-bloat-comes-csu-system/
For some historical perspective, here is a quote from the article:
“In 1991, 63 percent of the faculty were full-time. By 2009, the percentage had dropped to 49.9.”
Highlights
You should really read the whole article, but here are some highlights. While the CSU was claiming "poverty", froze faculty hiring, and expanded class sizes:
During the worse year of the crisis 2009-2010, SDSU added 7 high-level administrators.
Between 2007-2013, the number of high-level administrators with 6 figure salaries increased across the system.
From 2007 to 2014 SDSU, CSU San Luis Obispo added 47% and 74% administrators respectively.
Existing administrators got some sweet raises: The VP for student affairs at Northridge went from $141K in 2009 to $173K in 2010, while the VP at San Jose State salary went from $161K 2009 to $176K in 2010 to $212K in 2011. What a deal!
You really need to read the whole thing, especially the fact that this is a national disease. (Across the US between 1975-2005 college and university administration increase 240%!)
Student Fee Increases
And what did these same administrators do in 2009? Increase fees on full-time students. You can't make this s*$t up:
http://polycentric.cpp.edu/2009/05/csu_trustees_increase_student_fees_for_2009-10_academic_year/
Yes, while the VP of student affairs at SJSU got an extra $50,000/year plus benefits (another $15 to $20K) undergraduate students had to pay an extra $306/year. Doing a little math, this salary increase for just one administrator would have covered the fee increase for 228 undergraduates.
Pardon me while I grab a bucket...