Administrative Glut

Although I am on staycation for one more day, I am writing an entry for my professional blog. I was sitting on a park bench this afternoon as I read the Education Life section of the Sunday New York Times. An article titled Administrative Glut by Andrew Hacker and Gloria Dreifus piqued my interest. Let me quote the second paragraph of this article:

Williams’s (College in Massachusetts) annual report to the Department of Education reveals that of 1,017 total employees, 720, or over 70 percent, are doing something other than teaching. Among them are 84 coaches, 73 fund-raisers, a 42-member information-technology crew and a staff of 29 at its art museum. The college also has a “spouse/partner employment counselor” and a “queer life coordinator.”

Are all these positions necessary?

Question - are librarians considered administrators? We are directly involved in the educational process. Are library staffs being cut unnecessarily?

In any organization, a certain amount of administration is necessary. I have heard that at NJIT and other colleges adjunct professors who obviously teach are not being retained increasing the load for regular faculty. No organization enjoys letting people go, but I hope that colleges and universities are evaluating non-essential administrators when making cuts.

This essay is adapted from the following book to be published in August 2010:

Dreifus, Claudia, and Andrew Hacker. Higher Education?: How Colleges Are Wasting Our Money and Failing Our Kids, and What We Can Do About It. New York: Times Books, 2010.

I think I should read this book when it becomes available. I think that all colleges must spend money responsibly especially in this era of tight budgets.