Having peered behind the curtain of many of academe’s most hallowed halls, I am rarely encouraged, much less inspired, by what I see occurring in higher education.  Yesterday, however, provided an exception, even for this hardened cynic.

I have long admired University of Kentucky President Lee Todd, who truly has done a yeoman’s job of leading that University into the top ranks of public universities nationally.  What did Mr. Todd do yesterday?  He turned down a $168,000 raise and essentially will take a $95,000 pay cut that will drop his salary to $304,010, which is below the national median salary for public university presidents.

President Todd said he did not feel comfortable taking a raise after two years of pay freezes for faculty and staff.  ”It is a tough time right now,” said President Todd.  ”Our highest priority is figuring out how to compensate faculty and staff.”

President Todd has not been alone among higher education presidents nationally in providing inspiration by refusing a salary increase in these tough economic times.  Don’t, however, look for much inspiration locally.

For those who think West Virginia University’s acceptance of a donation from Robert Murray is a travesty, read this article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about credit card companies and Georgia’s higher education system:

• In return for providing Bank of America with at least 180,000 names, addresses and telephone numbers of students, alumni and parents, the University of Georgia’s Foundation and partners are guaranteed to receive at least $1 million per year over 7 years.
• The Georgia Tech Alumni Association receives about $650,000 annually, or one-tenth of its budget, for providing its alumni information.
• Georgia State University’s Foundation receives at least $525,000 annually, including $1 for each new account and a percentage of the value of student and non-student purchases using the card.

Given these types of practices, it’s no wonder that a 2008 study by U.S. Public Interest Research Groups found that two-thirds of college students have credit cards, with the average senior running a balance of $2,623.

Luckily for Georgia’s alumni and students, the Georgia General Assembly stepped in and passed a law that would restrict consumers under 21 from getting credit cards without an adult co-signer, require disclosure of higher education/credit card company agreements, forbid card issuers from offering freebies, etc.

West Virginia has a law that requires higher education institutions to establish guidelines for campus credit card solicitations.  The House of Delegates passed a bill to add further restrictions during the 2009 regular legislative session, but the bill died in the Senate.