Chancellor Denton's story was featured in today's San Jose Mercury News. Her death is still a myth so far. Most people blame the pressure Denton had since the UC-wide financial "scandal" was reported in major media outlets here in California.
I don't know how it became a scandal. Most likely the bureaucrats in the UC system mishandled the whole executive-pay thing. Why did they try to hide the not-so-exorbitant executive salary? Let's be realistic. If UC wants to remain as top research universities in the world, the spending of the system has to catch up not only with that of top public universities, but also with that of private ones, such as Stanford. Executive compensations are part of the spending, too. Good chancellors or presidents are hard to come by. If there is anyone available in the market, guess which institution will snatch him or her up? The one with deep pockets, of course!
Let's not be hypocrite. Outstanding scholars are human, too. You can't always count on them to be philanthropic or on their endless love to public education. Let's pay them well and ask them to bring the reputation and donations Californians really want.
I don't know if the bureaucrats have learned a thing or two from the tragedy. Hopefully, they will not simply list dog runs as not-to-offer items, but also deeply re-exam their attitudes toward executive compensations. If they still feel they are inept to explain the necessity of reasonable pay package to the politicians in Sacramento, I will suspect that they feel guilty about their own pay as well.
(Picture: UC Santa Cruz Review)
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