美国大学校长收入惊人

    虽然华尔街因高管薪酬过高问题而备受指责，但我们唯有仔细查看一下美国各大学的高管薪酬情况才算公平。

    这个话题值得关注，因为助学债务的攀升迫使各大院校不得不正视学费不断高涨的问题。《纽约时报》(The Times)本周开始就毕业生疲于偿还助学贷款所造成的各种影响而发表系列报道。这些记者计算了一些令人不安的数据：现在在获得学士学位的大学生当中，有66％以上的学生通过借钱来支付高等教育费用，而相比之下，在1993年这个比例是45％。

    助学贷款热潮已持续多年。虽然一系列的研究表明，从长远来看，大学教育确实物有所值，但对于近年毕业的大学生来说，助学贷款尤其令人头疼，因为他们正在应对一个疲软的就业市场。在2011年，大学生平均负债23,300美元，其中有10％的大学生负债超过54,000美元，而有3％的大学生负债超过10万美元。

    大学费用在不断攀升，而政府提供的教育经费却在缩减。从2001年到2011年，州立学校的学杂费飙升了72％，而相比之下，非营利性私立学校的学杂费同期仅上涨了29％。在同一时期，全美各州及地方给每位学生提供的平均教育经费下滑了24％。

    对如今大学费用为何如此昂贵这个问题存在许多争议。正如《纽约时报》所述，这可能是因为在经济形势良好的时期，各大院校被迫加大开支，以便吸引最好、最聪明的学生和教职员工。或许教育本身就所费不菲，因为各大院校都得设法跟上攀升的医疗费用及新技术的步伐。

    但有一个重要因素被忽视了：大学最高层管理人员的薪酬水平。虽然学生们债务缠身，但许多大学校长却享受着超高的薪水。《高等教育如何浪费钱并辜负孩子？我们该如何应对？》（Higher Education? How Colleges Are Wasting Our Money and Failing Our Kids – and What We can Do About It）的合著者安德鲁•海克表示，自1991年以来，公立大学及私立大学的校长薪酬水平大致翻了一番。

    据《高等教育年鉴》（The Chronicle of Higher Education）发布的最新数据显示，在2009-2010学年期间，公立大学的校长薪酬中位数是375,442美元。排名前10的大学校长薪酬最高为180万美元，最低为728,350美元。其中俄亥俄州立大学（Ohio State University）校长戈登•吉的薪酬排名第一，其次前华盛顿大学（University of Washington）校长马克•埃默特以薪酬904,004美元排名第二[他现在担任全美大学体育协会（National Collegiate Athletic Association）会长]，得克萨斯大学（University of Texas System）校长弗朗西斯科•西加罗阿以薪酬813,892美元排名第三，而中佛罗里达大学（University of Central Florida）校长约翰•希特以薪酬800,703美元排名第四。这比当今许多知名度最高的公职人员的薪酬还要高出许多。

    诚然，找到人才并不容易。至少在美国企业当中，普遍持有的理念就是以高薪吸引优秀人才。而掌管一家大型院校确实是件复杂的工作，因此大学校长应该获得公平的薪酬。

    For all the flak Wall Street gets over excessive pay, it's only fair to take a closer look at compensation at America's universities.

    The topic deserves attention, as the rise in student debt forces colleges to confront soaring costs. This week, The New York Times began its series on the implications of graduates struggling to pay off student loans. The reporters crunched some disturbing numbers: More than 66% of students who earn a bachelor's degree now borrow to pay for higher education, compared with 45% in 1993.

    The borrowing binge has gone on for years. And although studies show college does pay off over the long haul, student loans have been particularly troublesome for recent graduates as they deal with a weak job market. In 2011, the average debt was $23,300, with 10% owing more than $54,000 and 3% more than $100,000.

    College costs are rising while education funding from the government shrinks. From 2001 to 2011, tuition and fees at state schools soared 72%, compared with only 29% at nonprofit private institutions. During the same period, state and local funding per student fell by 24% nationwide.

    There's plenty of dispute about why college costs so much today. As The Times notes, it could be that colleges got caught up in big spending when economic times were good to attract the best and the brightest students and faculty. Maybe education is just inherently pricey as universities try to keep up with higher health costs and new technologies.

    But one important factor is being overlooked: Pay packages at the top. While students languish in debt, many university presidents enjoy lofty paychecks. Since 1991, salaries of university presidents at at public and private universities have roughly doubled, says Andrew Hacker, co-author of Higher Education? How Colleges Are Wasting Our Money and Failing Our Kids – and What We can Do About It.

    At public universities, the median compensation for presidents was $375,442 in 2009-2010, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education's latest figures. The top 10 highest paid boasted compensation ranging from $1.8 million to $728,350, with Ohio State University president Gordon Gee at the top, followed by former University of Washington president Mark Emmert with $904,004 (he's now president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association), Francisco Cigarroa of the University of Texas System with $813,892 and John Hitt of the University of Central Florida with $800,703. That's way more than what many of today's most high-profile public servants earn.

    To be sure, finding talent isn't easy. At least in corporate America, the general philosophy is that the big bucks pull in good people. And running a major university is complex stuff, so presidents should be fairly compensated.