At a party late last fall, someone asked me what I thought about the stories that were breaking in the San Francisco Chronicle about how the perks that senior administration at the UC system were getting. I expressed my natural outrage at the situation but didn't think a lot more about the matter since I didn't think anything would ever change. (I've gotten sufficiently cynical to expect bad behavior from the people at the very top. Isn't that sad?) Recently, I started to follow more closely the ongoing coverage in the Chronicle (including the latest article SENATORS DEMAND ANSWERS ON UC PAY / Unreported compensation raises ire at panel's hearing ), as well as the PR responses of UC Berkeley and the system as a whole. The more I learn, the more I'm longing for some deep wisdom in this matter. How much I get paid or you get paid or anyone gets paid -- or should get paid -- is a hot-button issue. I've been fascinated by the types of arguments that have been marshalled to justify various positions. At the risk of incorrectly characterizing the debate, it seems that those who are justifying the high pay of senior people argue that we need horizontal parity; UC leaders should be paid at comparable levels to leaders at peer institutions. Those who express outrage at the compensation of senior leaders draw our attention to the lack of vertical fairness; is it right for the pay at the highest levels to be going up, while the rank-and-file (who could really use the money!) are not similarly benefiting?
I know that it's more complicated that what I set out here -- and that's what I'm trying to get at as I sort through the arguments. More fundamentally, I've been searching my own heart on how I currently feel and how I would feel should I ever going higher (or fall lower) down the hierarchy. I keep asking myself to what extent are my views -- and those of everyone involved -- more self-serving than reflective of a concern for others. There's a lot more to say. I will close with bemusement the following quote from the Wikipedia entry on Peter Drucker: Peter Drucker - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
(I'm looking for the source for the 20:1 figure and plan to follow up once I find it.)
Posted by rdhyee at February 9, 2006 10:29 AM