They don’t give a rat’s ass where the funds to shovel millions and millions of dollars in the direction of retired football coaches come from. The fact that the university somehow has money to do that, but lacks money for its academic programs bigtime “will hurt the U when President Kaler comes crying poor to the Legislature for money for our students.” As one of many unhappy legislators puts it.
Get it? Pick up on the hostility in the “comes crying” bit? No? How about this, from another legislator:
“How badly do they need money if that’s how they’re handling it?”
Maybe further comments from legislators would help President Kaler.
“I think it is definitely a direct legislative issue, because these kinds of salaries make legislators think, ‘Does the U really need money and why don’t they ever put it toward students when we give it to them?'” [Mindy] Greiling said. “Once again, it looks like the university is putting students last in terms of their budgets when we see things like this.”
Rep. Alice Hausman, DFL-St. Paul, who serves on the Capital Investment Committee and whose district includes numerous university employees, said she has become almost immune to university decisions that she believes show the wrong priorities.
“I don’t think any of us buy the argument [that foundation money makes it acceptable], but they give the argument with a straight face,” she said.
Straight face. I think university presidents should be smart enough to pick up on these teeny linguistic nuances, don’t you? Coming from the state legislature?
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UD thanks Michael.
February 4th, 2012 at 4:00PM
But it’s football!
February 4th, 2012 at 5:23PM
A powerful argument, JND.
February 5th, 2012 at 12:07PM
So, help me out here. Money given to athletics is really going to the universities, so university presidents shouldn’t plead poverty and the need for more public support, because, you know, money is money and priorities and everything. But Federal tax dollars to Planned Parenthood does not fund abortion, because THAT money is not fungible. I think I’m gonna need a scorecard.
February 5th, 2012 at 1:53PM
President Kaler attempted to avoid criticism by using a source other than state funds to keep the athletic director employed for one more year as a special assistant with compensation and benefits in the amount of $468,000. It turns out that some state legislators did object to the use of funds from the U of M Foundation that the University had solicited for the general purposes of education, research, and public service.
See:
Maturi Deal Not Selling at http://ptable.blogspot.com/2012/02/university-of-minnesota-maturi-deal-not.html#links and
A Question of Priorities at http://ptable.blogspot.com/2012/02/question-of-priorities-prelude-bill.html#links.