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Friday, March 30, 2007
Ind. Gov't. - More on "Ivy Tech’s troubled roots: Political entanglements deter community college mission"
Following up on this March 25th ILB entry, quoting from a signed editorial in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette by Karen Francisco, and linking to earlier ILB entries on the topic, see this column today by Matthew Tully of the Indianapolis Star, headed "Makeover tip for Ivy Tech: Stop hiring lawmakers." Some quotes:
After weeks of negative publicity, [incoming Ivy Tech President Thomas] Snyder could give Ivy Tech an image boost by erasing a decade of questions about its integrity. All he has to do is say the school will start selecting administrators from among the 6.3 million Hoosiers who don't serve in the state legislature.Instead of continuing to hire people such as the following:
• Speaker Pat Bauer, D-South Bend, who holds a $112,000-a-year vice presidential post.
• House Ways and Means Chairman Bill Crawford, D-Indianapolis, whose director of outreach post pays $71,000 a year.
• Rep. Craig Fry, D-Mishawaka, who is dean of apprenticeship studies, a job with an annual salary of $107,000.
Giving high-paying Ivy Tech jobs to state lawmakers -- former Republican Senate boss Bob Garton, an Ivy Tech administrator, was hired by the school during his Senate tenure -- is one of those much-criticized but long-accepted practices. It's such a part of the institution that people at the Statehouse joke about it. Every so often, a story runs in this paper or elsewhere, pointing out the conflict and generating short-term outrage.
Then the issue goes away.
And lawmakers continue collecting paychecks from an institution whose budget and policies they oversee.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on March 30, 2007 08:02 AM
Posted to Indiana Government