Budget cuts? Not for the diversity industry
California's budget woes have resulted in funding for the state's massive university system being "cut to the bone," according to the office of the president of the UC system.
Ah. Well, maybe not quite: The Diversity lobby hasn't lost a dime. In fact, UC San Diego has just created a new full-time “vice chancellor for equity, diversity, and inclusion.”
The new position adds to the university's already massive diversity apparatus, which includes the Chancellor’s Diversity Office, the associate vice chancellor for faculty equity, the assistant vice chancellor for diversity, the faculty equity advisors, the graduate diversity coordinators, the staff diversity liaison, the undergraduate student diversity liaison, the graduate student diversity liaison, the chief diversity officer, the director of development for diversity initiatives, the Office of Academic Diversity and Equal Opportunity, the Committee on Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Issues, the Committee on the Status of Women, the Campus Council on Climate, Culture and Inclusion, the Diversity Council, and the directors of the Cross-Cultural Center, the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource Center, and the Women’s Center.
Did you get lost in the torrent of titles? Yeah, me too. And can you imagine how much all those positions consume in salary and overhead? Multiply each single position by $200,000, and each office or council by 100K and you'll be in the ballpark.
This, dear reader, is what the academic and government world considers "cutting unnecessary expenses to the bone."
Keep that in mind next time some grand poobah claims they've wrung out all the possible waste in government.
Oh, and lest you think this insanity is unique to UC San Diego: Berkeley already has a "vice chancellor for equity and inclusion, employing 17 people including a “chief of staff,” two “project/policy analysts,” and a “director of special projects.” According to state databases, the VC-EI's base pay in 2009 was $194,000, not including including summer salary or "administrative stipends." Add the salaries of the VC's staff and you’re looking at over $1 million a year.
By comparison, the official salary for assistant professors at UC starts at around $53,000. Scrap the VC-EI office and the U could hire just under 20 new assistant professors--some of whom might actually teach something.
Pardon me--I don't know what I was thinking to write that. Because as everyone knows, the purpose of universities isn't to teach, but to convert taxpayer dollars into cushy salaries for the top 300 administrators per campus.
(h/t Heather MacDonald at City Journal)
Ah. Well, maybe not quite: The Diversity lobby hasn't lost a dime. In fact, UC San Diego has just created a new full-time “vice chancellor for equity, diversity, and inclusion.”
The new position adds to the university's already massive diversity apparatus, which includes the Chancellor’s Diversity Office, the associate vice chancellor for faculty equity, the assistant vice chancellor for diversity, the faculty equity advisors, the graduate diversity coordinators, the staff diversity liaison, the undergraduate student diversity liaison, the graduate student diversity liaison, the chief diversity officer, the director of development for diversity initiatives, the Office of Academic Diversity and Equal Opportunity, the Committee on Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Issues, the Committee on the Status of Women, the Campus Council on Climate, Culture and Inclusion, the Diversity Council, and the directors of the Cross-Cultural Center, the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource Center, and the Women’s Center.
Did you get lost in the torrent of titles? Yeah, me too. And can you imagine how much all those positions consume in salary and overhead? Multiply each single position by $200,000, and each office or council by 100K and you'll be in the ballpark.
This, dear reader, is what the academic and government world considers "cutting unnecessary expenses to the bone."
Keep that in mind next time some grand poobah claims they've wrung out all the possible waste in government.
Oh, and lest you think this insanity is unique to UC San Diego: Berkeley already has a "vice chancellor for equity and inclusion, employing 17 people including a “chief of staff,” two “project/policy analysts,” and a “director of special projects.” According to state databases, the VC-EI's base pay in 2009 was $194,000, not including including summer salary or "administrative stipends." Add the salaries of the VC's staff and you’re looking at over $1 million a year.
By comparison, the official salary for assistant professors at UC starts at around $53,000. Scrap the VC-EI office and the U could hire just under 20 new assistant professors--some of whom might actually teach something.
Pardon me--I don't know what I was thinking to write that. Because as everyone knows, the purpose of universities isn't to teach, but to convert taxpayer dollars into cushy salaries for the top 300 administrators per campus.
(h/t Heather MacDonald at City Journal)
posted by SF at
3:47 PM
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