The University of Utah is among the top public research universities in America because of the work of brilliant faculty supported by a highly effective administration. The faculty is responsible for teaching and research, and the administration is responsible for providing the financial and other resources that allow faculty to do their work. It is this essential point that The Tribune ("Costs rise, U.'s fat cats get richer," Dec. 16) entirely missed.
The accomplishments of remarkable faculty - such as Nobel laureate Mario Capecchi and dozens of his peers across campus - are regularly heralded in national journals and news reports. The work of top administrators is less well known, but equally important to the well-being of the university. Under the leadership of those cited in The Tribune:
* The university's revenue increased nearly $800 million from non-state and non-tuition sources between fiscal year 2003 and 2007.
* The school's health-care system now generates nearly $30 million in revenue (rather than losing $6 million, as it did in 2000).
* Research grants increased by 66 percent ($123 million) between 1998 and 2007.
* Last year, private support increased by more than $30 million - a record for the U.
This level of growth is the result of the work of those administrators identified in The Tribune, as well as their faculty and staff colleagues. In every case mentioned, the raises helped keep these remarkable leaders at the U. when they were recruited for higher-paying jobs at flagship state universities in Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon and elsewhere. Had these offers gone unanswered, we would have lost these capable individuals and the cost to Utah in critical support for research and teaching almost certainly would have been in the hundreds of millions of dollars. That is a loss the state simply cannot afford - and should not, if we recognize the value of retaining top administrators.
This same competitive dynamic also exists for faculty, and it should be noted that the figures reported in The Tribune reflect only the state portion of funds used for faculty raises. Taking all funds into account, continuing faculty received raises totaling 22 percent during the time cited in the articles. Where top faculty were being recruited elsewhere, the university made counteroffers that exceeded the percentage cited for administrators in the newspaper.
It is critical for Utahns to understand that retaining top administrators and faculty, and the increased revenues they generate, is essential to the development of the U.'s and Utah's economy. Over two decades, the state's share of the university's operating budget has declined from 24.7 percent to 10.5 percent today. The difference has been made up from other sources such as sponsored research, charitable contributions, royalty income, commercialization revenues and earned income, including income from the health-care system - the very sources for which administrators referenced by The Tribune are responsible.
It is also worth noting that tuition income accounts for only a small portion of the raises for faculty, staff and administrators. Many salaries are paid from non-state and non-tuition sources. It is incorrect to conclude that the burden of administrative salaries is being borne by students to any significant degree. It is even more misleading to suggest that any major portion of the cost of running the university is borne by students. In total, tuition accounts for just 6.4 percent of operating revenues. Tuition remains among the lowest of our peer institutions nationally and is a remarkable bargain for U. students. Indeed, tuition is kept as low as it is precisely because of the success in raising funds through research grants, private gifts and earned income.
Utahns are fortunate to have a major research university that is internationally recognized for its excellence. We are even more fortunate to have a university that enriches our lives in countless ways, from scientific breakthroughs in health care, to development of the cultural, economic and physical infrastructure of the state. Rather than labeling our administrators as "fat cats," we should recognize them for what they are - appropriately compensated visionary leaders whom we have been lucky to retain by staying competitive.
To do otherwise does an extraordinary disservice to our students and to our state.
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* RANDY DRYER is an attorney in Salt Lake City and chairman of the University of Utah's Board of Trustees.
