Reader comments
U. chief defends high pay for administrators

It seems the news article left out the most important information.

Michael K. Young - President - $327,506
A Lorris Betz - Senior Vice President - $666,376
Jack W Brittain - Vice President - $401,527
David W Pershing - Professor - $388,093
Fred C Esplin - Vice President - $212,833

Maybe they didn't want this published.

I agree with President Young, if you want the best, you have to pay them. It would be a tremendous disservice to have anything less.

Keep in mind, the State of Utah only pays about 10% of the entire budget of the University of Utah.

Is the UTA audit already old news? The legislative witch hunt continues for anyone making more than minimum wage. Could you hire a college president or head of a medical school for $100,000 or less per year. Of course. But what kind of people would you get?

Could you have found someone to run UTA on much less salary? Sure, but would you still be building all these massive projects using almost a billion dollars in federal money (way more than Utah's share) and tax increases that voters overwhelmingly supported? I doubt it. Anytime they come in "on time and under budget" on a big project, taxpayers save tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars. Remember cost increases and delays with Legacy and with I-15 in Salt Lake County? It is worth paying people more money to deliver results. That's one issue I have with government. What type of people are attracted to an environment that, whether you do a good job or bad job, still pays the same.

It seems some of these folks from the U of U and UTA are STILL underpaid for the results the produce and the real economic value they bring.

yay! another reason to raise tuition prices! i can't wait to get out of the U

Ah! Silly me! I thought that the purpose of the university was to educate my children. Now I know that, first and foremost, the "institutional priority [of the University of Utah] is to produce more Nobel Prize winners." That is a much better use of my tax dollars. Thank you, Michael K. Young, for correcting me.

But I don't want to pay for it.

I want a BMW, but am only willing to pay for a Kia

I want a good football team, but I don't want my ticket prices raised.

I want to be Nephi, but live like Laman.

How many of the people complaining could do these jobs? Very few, hence why they get paid so much. Why do we as Utahn's care so much. I think we should be concerned about results. Better education, better jobs, better economic development.

BTW, Z. Nobel prize winners = more prestige = better education. Compare the number of Nobel prize winners against the prestige of the school and I will bet you find a highly statistically significant correlation.

Z, seems confused. The most successful students are those who do research. If your children do research with professors of great prestige, they'll have a better education, and a better life. It is hard enough to get quality people here in Utah, so obviously we need to pay out quite a bit.

Also, the U is a type 1 university, like all type 1's their priority is research. Research brings revenue, prestige, and more jobs to the state.

So if you do not want to help improve the state, continue asking for results, without having to sacrifice anything.

your answer to out of Staters paying higher tutions.....LOL!!

Knock off trying to spin this, U of U, and move on.