U.S. To Forgive at Least $108B in Student Debt in Coming Years

Re:U.S. To Forgive at Least $108B in Student Debt in Coming ... by grigjd3 on Wednesday November 30, 2016 @09:17AM (#13070860)

I saw academic bloat run sky-high when I was a post-doc. Today, I think about saving for my daughter's college, which I am fortunate enough to be able to do. It's infuriating that the money is going to paying for self-preserving bureaucracy and campus beautification projects like replacing the flowers every month. From what I've read, it's even worse today.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:U.S. To Forgive at Least $108B in Student Debt in Coming ... by castratikron on Wednesday November 30, 2016 @09:21AM (#13070888)

The highest paid public employee in my state is a college basketball coach.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:U.S. To Forgive at Least $108B in Student Debt in Coming ... by pc86 on Wednesday November 30, 2016 @09:27AM (#13070945)

I think it's less about the amount any one person is paid and more about the huge number of administrators moving paper from one desk to another.

I went to a private liberal arts college with a few thousand students. We had a Dean and four assistant Deans, all of whom made multiple six figures a year. Our president when I was there made $450k/yr and had next to no living expenses.

Private v. public has nothing to do with academic bloat.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:U.S. To Forgive at Least $108B in Student Debt in Coming ... by hash-set on Wednesday November 30, 2016 @09:34AM (#13071011)

Exactly this! I attended a major southern public university and the administrative overhead there was immense. Not only that, you had high placed administrators who "retired" only to immediately return as high dollar consultants. Whole thing stinks.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:U.S. To Forgive at Least $108B in Student Debt in Coming ... by jazzyk on Wednesday November 30, 2016 @09:28AM (#13070956)

Closely followed by an army of "Deans of Diversity and Inclusion" and others like that, at around $400K/year.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:U.S. To Forgive at Least $108B in Student Debt in Coming ... by ConnorG on Wednesday November 30, 2016 @09:34AM (#13071015)

I too live in Michigan. Dantonio's salary is ridiculous.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:U.S. To Forgive at Least $108B in Student Debt in Coming ... by maxerickson on Wednesday November 30, 2016 @09:47AM (#13071131)

Jim Harbaugh makes even more.

But Big 10 football (and basketball) runs at a profit for the schools, it's the big salaries at smaller sports programs that don't make financial sense.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:U.S. To Forgive at Least $108B in Student Debt in Coming ... by mtberatwork on Wednesday November 30, 2016 @09:50AM (#13071154)

> self-preserving bureaucracy

When academia is run as a business and subsidies are drastically cut, you need to devote resources into acquiring new customers, which means competing with other universities who are doing the same thing. Hence the rapid increases in campus amenities and business administration positions that never existed 30 years ago.

> campus beautification projects like replacing the flowers every month

Out of all things to complain about, flowers on campus are on the low end of the totem pole. Let them plant flowers, I say! I enjoy them.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:U.S. To Forgive at Least $108B in Student Debt in Coming ... by grigjd3 on Wednesday November 30, 2016 @03:29PM (#13074408)

When a school with ~4000 students has a multimillion dollar flower replacement budget, it says a lot.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:U.S. To Forgive at Least $108B in Student Debt in Coming ... by knz on Wednesday November 30, 2016 @01:05PM (#13073022)

>It's infuriating that the money is going to paying for self-preserving bureaucracy and campus beautification projects like replacing the flowers every month.

You forgot paying for sports facilities...

Edit: Downvotes for wondering why universities are paying millions for sports facilities. Nice.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:U.S. To Forgive at Least $108B in Student Debt in Coming ... by hackermailman on Wednesday November 30, 2016 @10:51AM (#13071672)

It gets worse, the army of governors, deans, vice chancellors and council of senates all making over $400k at a university here built luxury condos on endowment lands with tuition fees to speculate on.

[ Parent | on HN ]