The UW as Animal Farm

From the AAUP listserve:  The Seattle Times reports that "Among the donors are President Mark Emmert, Provost Phyllis Wise, the head football and basketball coaches, as well as the athletic director, vice presidents and vice provosts, deans and chancellors." are going to make donations for ine year of 5% of their incomes to assoreted UW causes .... my reply:

While any charitable contributions in a time of need are to be applauded, this gesture of good will has a sad limitations. The amount given and the conditions are so meager that the UW management appears to be a separate class from the faculty and staff. This management class, however well intended, seems to being cutting itself off from the ability to serve as credible leaders for a broader based effort to encourage faculty, staff, the community and the legislature to contribute to our shared enterprise.

Please note that the designation of the recipients of this money is discretionary, there likely will be no public record, the amount pledged is considerably less than the amount Dr. Wise claimed she has already given, and ... of course the contribution is a useful tax write-off.

Wouldn't it have been far better to make a more considerable contribution to a fund devoted to scholarships and ask the entire faculty and staff to join together behind the effort?

story from Seattle Times

Some college staff to give part of salary back to UW
Amid tuition hikes and budget cuts, some of the University of Washington's highest-paid higher-ups are tithing a portion of their incomes back to the school. Actually, half of a tithe: Senior UW leaders will donate 5 percent of their salaries to student scholarships and academic programs, the university announced Thursday.

By Mark Rahner

Seattle Times staff reporter

Amid tuition hikes and budget cuts, some of the University of Washington's highest-paid higher-ups are tithing a portion of their incomes back to the school. Actually, half of a tithe: Senior UW leaders will donate 5 percent of their salaries to student scholarships and academic programs, the university announced Thursday.

Among the donors are President Mark Emmert, Provost Phyllis Wise, the head football and basketball coaches, as well as the athletic director, vice presidents and vice provosts, deans and chancellors.

The contributions are expected to be more than $600,000.

"People throughout the university are working extraordinarily hard," Emmert said in a statement Thursday. "Our senior leaders decided to demonstrate their support for our people who have taken on extra work and larger classes to serve our students. The funds we are donating will help students and faculty in these difficult times. I am very proud of my colleagues' commitment and generosity."

Emmert is the second-highest paid public-university president in the country, with a compensation package of $905,000, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. Emmert also sits on the board of two local Fortune 500 companies.

Wise, UW's No. 2 administrator, makes $535,000 annually in salary and deferred compensation, and holds a seat on Nike's corporate board.

UW football coach Steve Sarkisian makes $1.833 million.

The donations are for one year only, said UW director of media relations Norm Arkans — who pointed out that most of the donors routinely give money back to the university. Each of the donors will decide how his or her money is spent. "That's really their decision based on their philanthropic interests," Arkans said.

How much of a difference will the 5 percent make in light of the tuition hikes and budget cuts?

"It doesn't make up for it because there's nothing that replaces the state dollars that we've lost — $90 million this biennium," Arkans said. "What private funds do is support student scholarships, faculty endowments, professorships and chairs."

Mark Rahner: 206-464-8259 or mrahner@seattletimes.com