Governor Brown Calls Out SDSU's President Moneypants For $100K Raise During Budget Crisis

Earlier today Governor Brown delivered the following letter to Herbert Carter, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the California State University, expressing his concern for the colossal pay packages recently awarded to top administrators. Brown's admirable intentions are crystal clear - to advise Carter in today's salary decision and emphasize the current necessity of sacrifice.

Dear Mr. Carter,

As this Board well knows, California is still struggling to overcome the effects of the great recession which forced tens of billions of dollars in state budget cuts.

The state university system has been particularly hard hit with painful sacrifices on the part of faculty and students alike. As trustees, you have to make tough calls and strive as best you can to protect our proud system of higher education.

It is in this context, and prompted by the salary decision you are about to make today, that I write to express my concern about the ever-escalating pay packages awarded to your top administrators.

I fear your approach to compensation is setting a pattern for public service that we cannot afford.

I have reviewed the Mercer compensation study and have reflected on its market premises, which provide the justification for your proposed salary boost of more than $100,000. The assumption is that you cannot find a qualified man or woman to lead the university unless paid twice that of the Chief Justice of the United States. I reject this notion.

At a time when the state is closing its courts, laying off public school teachers and shutting senior centers, it is not right to be raising the salaries of leaders who--of necessity--must demand sacrifice from everyone else.

These are difficult times and difficult choices must be made. I ask that you rethink the criteria for setting administrators’ salaries.

With respect,

Edmund G. Brown Jr.

Cc: Charles Reed, CSU Chancellor

Members of the Board of Trustees

A $400k compensation package, approved today by the CSU Board of Trustees in a 4-2 vote, may be awarded to Elliot Hirshman, San Diego State University's new president, reports NBC San Diego. This tidy sum totals $100k more than the salary of outgoing president Stephen Weber. The full board votes on Hirshman's pay this afternoon.

After Brown announced the devastating $500-million cut from the CSU system in January 2011, CSU suffered from this drastic reduction in funding with a forced decrease in student enrollment, faculty and staff.

Burning yet another hole in the pockets of CSU students, trustees approved a 12% tuition increase for fall 2011 today.