Indiana State University’s faculty senate has approved a vote of no confidence against the institution’s president, citing his “insensitivity” for getting a large raise in the middle of a budget crunch. The head of the university’s board said the vote “set a divisive tone” (See “Faculty Group Voted No Confidence in President of Indiana State U. by Paul Fain, The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 5).
More such intramural squabbling does not surface, I believe, because institutions are often upping the financial compensation of all “key players.” Thus the latter have a collective incentive not to blow the whistle on each other’s compensation. In other words, mum’s the word when everyone is getting an increased piece of the action.
There is a great need for boards to get serious about employee compensation, which should entail linking it to performance and productivity. The public cannot rely on university employees themselves to act as watchdog and point the finger at each other. It is not generally in their interest to do so.