RGJ editorial: state universities must compete for top professors

Over the weekend, the Reno Gazette-Journal ran a series of stories looking in-depth into salaries at UNR for coaches and for faculty. Their conclusion is on their editorial page

[T] he best philosophy and physics professors don't get nearly the publicity that the best coaches get, the law of supply and demand applies to faculty members, just as it does to coaches. All professors are not created equal. Good teachers and researchers attract good students, donations and grants to a university ... [M]ost of the discussion of whether salaries at Nevada's colleges and universities are too high misses the mark. Good professors, like good workers in any profession, are worth competing for....

That's why the proposed cuts to Nevada's higher education system are so dangerous. Although the market for faculty members has slowed because of the recession, the best certainly will begin looking elsewhere rather than accept the pay cuts under consideration, and they will be very difficult to replace once their gone.

Nevada may not need to compete for high-priced coaches. ...But no university worth the name can afford not to compete for those few professors who can inspire young people and educate them as we need them to be educated in the 21st century.