The Bloom is Off the Rose

Some thoughts on Herald-Leader story on the lack of raises at the University of Kentucky.

According to the story the average faculty salary at UK in 2006 was $76,065.

Below are charts on some median salaries and wages in Kentucky from PayScale.com.

The Herald-Leader also provided a link to searching the salaries paid to UK employees. So let’s take a look at the folks making comments in this story.

“The staff feel like they've been abused and abandoned," said Terry Olson, a computer specialist in the College of Agriculture and a leader in efforts to get UK employees to join a union.

Olson makes $44,480 per year.

Megan Cox, the head of UK Employees United, a labor-organizing effort, said the "proposal of no raises is a bit harsh."

"People have been beaten down or marginalized so often it's hard to give people hope," said Cox, a disability program specialist in UK's Human Development Institute. "I think staff and faculty at the university are used to being on the bottom rung."

Cox makes $42,924 per year.

(UK President Lee) Todd was out of the country and unavailable to comment, UK spokesman Jay Blanton said Wednesday.

Now Jay Blanton doesn’t show up on the salary search data base, but Jonathan Blanton, Public Relations/Marketing Executive Director does show up.

Blanton, I assume it’s the same guy, makes $104,820.

But Todd's second-in-command, Provost Kumble R. Subbaswamy, said that two straight years of no raises "will not be tolerable."

Subbaswamy makes $275,000 per year.

“We've had years with no raises before," said Kaveh Tagavi, an engineering professor and chairman of the UK Senate Council. "But if there are no raises for two years, it definitely slows down the gain, especially if you are on the path to the Top 20."

Tagavi makes $96,490 per year.

Jay Perman, dean of the UK medical school, said "there isn't any way to paper over" the effect of no raises, especially when employees face a rise in the cost of living, "and not for the frilly stuff."

Perman said UK has been creating excitement, but the new budget "sort of takes the bloom off the rose."

Perman makes $535,664 per year.

The bloom may be off the rose, but I think these ivory tower inhabitants are going to have a tough sell to get the rest of Kentucky’s wage earners to feel real sorry for them.