[A Closer Look]: UC president criticized after salary revelation
By Shaun Bishop
Nov. 22, 2005 9:00 p.m.
University of California President Robert Dynes ““ who
insists people call him “Bob” ““ has long sought
to cultivate an image of accessibility.
During his 15 years as chancellor of UC San Diego, he headlined
a “Chancellor’s Challenge” in which he ran with
students to raise money for scholarships. When he visited UCLA two
years ago, he did an informal run around the campus perimeter with
students, faculty and staff. He met with UCLA student-leaders over
breakfast in May 2004.
But last week the reputation for openness in the university he
leads took a hit when the San Francisco Chronicle revealed
previously unreported compensation bonuses for UC employees
totalling $871 million last year. The figures were not included in
a consultant’s report in September, which said UC salaries
lagged behind market rates.
Now, as the leader of the university system, Dynes has pledged
to do a better job disclosing pay information in the face of sharp
criticism from lawmakers and UC interest groups over what they see
as a lack of transparency.
“When you work for the taxpayers, perception is everything
and the last thing you need to do is mislead the people who are
paying the bills,” State Sen. Abel Maldonado, R-Santa Maria,
told the Chronicle. “We have had deficits for the past four
years and all of a sudden you see something like this and it just
makes my stomach turn.”
Sen. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough, said based on her
conversations with Dynes, she believes he “recognizes the
importance of transparency.”
“I think that to gain the confidence of the legislature
and the public and the electorate, he’s going to have to be
forthcoming about what the total compensation packages for (UC
employees) are,” she said.
“I think he’s taken a few hits and has been quick to
correct his course,” Speier said. “As long as he
follows through I think everyone’s going to give him the
benefit of the doubt.”
UC officials responded quickly to the reports, setting up an
extensive Web site by the following evening with information on UC
salaries and practices.
A letter on the front page from Dynes said the site is designed
to help “everyone understand the broader context of the
higher education market within which we operate.”
UC spokesman Paul Schwartz pointed to several actions taken by
Dynes as steps toward addressing some of the criticisms, including
the creation of a task force to look specifically at the issue of
reporting compensation and transparency.
Asked if this was Dynes’ biggest challenge since being in
office, Schwartz said the president has dealt with numerous other
difficulties including budget cuts and issues at the UC-run Los
Alamos National Laboratory.
Paul Hassen, assistant director of public affairs for the
American Council on Education, said California’s budget
situation may have contributed to the criticism and media attention
given to the salary reports.
“There’s always a tension over the privacy of the
employees versus the public’s right to know how their money
is spent,” Hassen said.
“I think over time those issues rise and fall in terms of
importance. Generally it’s when budget times are real tight
people want to know how their money is being spent,” he
said.
