The proposed reduction in the biennial taxpayer bailout of the University System of New Hampshire (for our purposes, UNH) has the donkeys up in a snit. I can’t see why. UNH makes notoriously poor spending decisions, too numerous to mention again (there are a few here if you scroll down).
Suffice to say, there’s plenty of room for austerity measures, many of which will improve the curriculum and its product-credentialed students who add value to the nation. But I’m not here to revisit the futility of gender, race, and women’s studies degrees because I have pay inequality fish to fry.
And an opportunity. Note that these numbers apply only to the UNH main campus; however, we assume similar overstaffing abuses and pay injustices system-wide.
According to several online sources (I’ll link to just one), the student-to-faculty ratio at the main UNH campus is 16:1. This ratio is too low and likely indicative of faculty and administrative bloat. Too many useless paper pushers, most of whom are probably overpaid – a problem that also affects the so-called educators. According to the same sources,
- Male professors earn roughly $19K more than their female counterparts.
- Male Assistant professors and lecturers average 9K more than the ladies, which presumably includes the ones with a penis).
- Male Associate Professors earn an average of $11K more than the gals.
If women deserve pay equity and at UNH they are on average worth $17K less (avg across all occupations) cut all the men’s pay to match the women and if anyone bitches fire them. You cut salary overhead and staffing with one act of social justice.[Related: Claire Best – UNH Budget Cuts? I Have Suggestions]
Payroll savings, at a minimum, is anywhere from $ 5 – 7 million before anyone quits or gets fired. And look, pay equity!
Misconceptions
I know, the first reaction by everyone is there’s never anything too cut, everyone deserves a raise, and if you don’t give us more taxdollars we’ll have to hike the cost of tuition. But taxpayers are not some bottomless well to be tapped, and should not be on the hook if UNH is incapable or unwilling to compete for students like any other business.
“State School” can me state managed or overseen it does not have to mean state funded or even taxpayer backed.
And it our state college system full of “wicked-smaaht” people they ought to be more than capable of streamlining pay and benefits at the top and the middle while cutting staff from less-than-excellent degree programs related to things you need to gut anyway to avoid losing federal grants.
But start with the pay equity idea and deconstruct from there.
We can always send DOGE in if you like—tidy things up in a weekend.
Yes? No?
No one cuts their own budget so you force it on them and watch the dance. Trust me, they can manage just fine and if they have to raise tuition (everyone else does) and it costs them students, that’s fewer out of state students voting here.
I seriously can’t see what the problem is.
