As college students struggle with ever-rising tuition costs and student debt that follows them years after graduation, university presidents continue to collect lavish benefits and generous severance packages along with their already inflated salaries.
After College of DuPage President Robert Breuder was discovered using donor money intended to go towards student scholarships to fund his own extravagant lifestyle of fine dining, expensive wine and hunting, the board of trustees at the Illinois college voted to get rid of him. Instead of being punished, the Chicago Tribune reported that Breuder was offered $763,000 to retire three years early.
Tuition and fees for students at public universities in Illinois have spiked almost 84 percent over the past decade, according to a report by the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus. Meanwhile, university and college presidents are enjoying benefits such as free housing, car allowances, drivers, and expensive club memberships in addition to their massive salaries. And when they retire or resign, most have provisions in their contracts requiring that they get severance pay.
Breuder’s case is just one example of the benefits given to college presidents and top administrators at schools across the country.
A story produced by the Hechinger Report, a non-profit education news organization, points out that Breuder’s benefits package was fairly standard for the average college president. Presidents at public universities earn an average of $428,000 per year, up about 7 percent from last year. More than 60 percent of college presidents nationwide get all or part of their housing provided, more than 70 percent get a car or car allowance, and over a third get free club memberships, according to data from the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources.
And it’s not just university presidents that are reaping the rewards. Some top administrators such as provosts, chief development officers, executive vice presidents, chief business officers and athletic directors receive similar benefits.
Read the full story from The Hechinger Report.
