The Association of American Universities in August sent a set of guidelines to its member institutions recommending that in presidential searches, the role of the presidential spouse be discussed, and that institutions consider giving job titles and salaries to the spouses of chief executives. Some presidents and their spouses praise the guidelines, saying that the spouses have for too long received no compensation for the considerable work they do in fund raising, entertainment, and administrative support.
Some institutions pay presidential spouses.
But a number of female college presidents criticize the trend. They fear that if a president is expected to have a spouse who will work for the institution, women will lose out because male presidents are more likely to be married than are female presidents, and married male presidents are less likely than female presidents to have spouses with jobs outside the institution. Be sure to include your name and affiliation. Legitimate requests for anonymity will be honored. The Chronicle maintains Colloquy as an open forum where readers can comment on issues.