If you happen to reside exterior the bunkers of academe, you’ll have a rosy view of our nation’s schools and universities.
Maybe you envision leafy campuses, stately ivy-covered buildings, and kindly professors carrying tweed jackets with quaint elbow patches–professors who give scintillating lectures to enraptured college students after which return to their places of work to spend lengthy hours writing scholarly tomes that may make the world a greater place.
If that’s your picture of academia in the USA, you have not been paying consideration. Increased schooling has grow to be a racket primarily financed by federal and personal scholar loans–loans taken out by tens of millions of scholars who don’t get a lot for his or her cash.
On the prime echelon of the slothful, corrupt, and irrelevant cesspool that calls itself increased schooling, some individuals are getting wealthy. For instance, let’s look at Larry Hollier, who till just lately was Chancellor of the LSU Well being Sciences Middle in New Orleans. Earlier than stepping down from the chancellor’s job, Dr. Hollier made $1.1 million a 12 months. Not unhealthy!
And get this. Hollier additionally had a fats expense account supplied by the LSU Well being Basis, a non-profit entity not topic to state spending guidelines. In keeping with the Occasions-Picayune, which reviewed 600 pages of Hollier’s reimbursement requests, the Basis reimbursed the chancellor for $128,000 in bills over three years.
What did Hollier cost to his expense account? Things like limousine companies and first-class aircraft tickets when he traveled out of state, costly lodge rooms, and meals at high-class eating places.
For instance, Hollier attended a one-day convention in New York Metropolis, however he and his spouse flew first-class on the Basis’s expense and arrived three days early. Meals, lodging, and transportation for that foray value $4,200.
A spokesperson for the LSU Well being Middle mentioned Hollier’s expense account was meant for use for “high-level school recruitment, team-building actions” and bills related with commencement workouts.
Hollier’s fats expense account wasn’t his solely perk. The LSU Board of Supervisors awarded $93,100 in scholarships to 3 of his grandkids. Hollier mentioned he had nothing to do with these scholarship awards, and naturally, I imagine him.
Apparently, the LSU Well being Basis wasn’t paying a lot consideration to how Dr. Hollier was utilizing his costly account. That is puzzling as a result of the Basis has sixteen full-time workers.
Or possibly the Basis had no concept that Dr. Hollier would possibly use his cost card the best way he did. However that may’t be true as a result of the Basis skilled the same expense-account scandal in 2009–thirteen years in the past!
Allow us to by no means say that increased schooling does not repay. It pays off handsomely for top-level college workers. Too usually, nevertheless, it does not repay for college kids.
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| Who says increased schooling does not repay? |
