April 1993
| Revision History | ||
|---|---|---|
| Revision 1 | April 1993 | |
| The Alternative Orange. April 1993 Vol. 2 No. 6 (Syracuse University) | ||
| Revision 2 | September 16, 2000 | |
| DocBook XML (DocBk XML V3.1.3) from original. | ||
In the past few years, different parts of Cornell University, including the Graduate School, have been asked to cut their annual budgets. During these same years the salaries of top administrators have, in some cases, more than doubled. For example, according to the University’s tax disclosures, over three years President Frank Rhodes saw his reported taxable income increase by 135%—from $112,690 in 1988 to $265,623 in 1991. This later figure does not include the $42,980 Cornell reported to have paid in 1990 for such expenses as “maintaining Rhode’s University-owned house and car.” Other salary increases were as follows:
1988, 1991, Increase:
S. Provost Barker: $126,304, $259,717, 106%
Provost Neshei: $114,684, $187,635, 64%
Senior V.P. Morely: $146,995, $200,470, 36%
V.P. Palmer: $110,939, $148,816, 34%
V.P. Lynn: $125,654, $165,133, 32%
Other 1991 reported salary figures included: $190,653 for V.P. Ramin, $163,717 for V.P. Scott, $108,041 for V.P. Wisenfueld, and $419,756 for the Dean of the Medical School—this last figure including earnings from medical practice. All figures include only taxable income.
To Put These Numbers in Perspective
The total reported taxable salary and benefits received by Cornell’s top thirteen in 1991 exceeded $2.6 million. In contrast, during the 1990-91 academic year, 3,794 grads enrolled in the student health insurance plan. The total cost to Cornell to have picked up those premiums would have been under $1.8 million.
To put these numbers another way, just the raises for the top six administrators came to a total of $589,126. If that money had instead been used by the graduate school, rather than reducing the number of students receiving summer funding, the university could have increased the number by at least 236 grads.
All income figures from The Cornell Daily Sun, November 19th, 1992 and April 17th, 1990.
[From the March 1993 issue of the Grad Grind by Cornell’s GAO, Graduate Advocacy Organization. A private university has never to this date recognized a graduate student union, but we’re working on it.]
♦ ♦ ♦