Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-10-01
Pay onCoIlege Professors


The most striking fact connected with
the progress Of education in the United
States has been the unprecedented sums
Of money put into facilities for colleges
and university work in recent years. No
such amounts 81 property have ever been
turned over b educational uses az any
time or anywhere under state or rr!lG-
ious pressure or otherwise. as have NOlhn-
tatily been given by individuals within the
! late period for the endowment or found
/ ing of schools Of higher learning In Amer
! lea. one would suppose, under these cir
/ cumstanccs, that the demand 70: instruc-
] tors OF the first class would OutFun the
! supply. and that we should ma Tor TINS
/ cause II for no other that the caliihg OF
| college teacher was becoming an eN-
! tra,nelv remuncratiye one. But President
| Harper. Of Chicago University, in the fo-
! rum for September, finds the situation dii-
rsrent. He has obtained returns from
/ some lo0 American colleges relating -
/ the pay OF professors and presidents
/ and presents thcrefrom the following range
and average OF college salaries:
Salaries OF Range. average e..
( Colleges presidents $1,000 70 wv F''Ot'
/ Most highly paid pro-
/ fesors. $500 to 40 100
/ Tutors. - 300 % 20 80
The average pay of all, excluding theo-
[ logical ana archaeological schools, Is found
/ 10 bee Sli1O: and including the latter 81
I $50. This means, Of course, that the
/ number Of colleges paying the president
/ $lc0JU IS extremely limited-not more
! than one. in fact; while only Two pay
/ $500, and more than one-half pay less
/ than $3.50. And the same general Classl-
/ icatiCn will apply propOrtionateiy 20 the
/ professors. 1t Is needless to add that the
! new universities at Chicago and In CALI
fornia contribute most OF the very high
/ est salaries, and II these were excluded
! the general average would fall much
/ lower than it IS.
Hero. then, is work requiring In the FIRST
/ place some, II not. high. natural qualihca-
TONS and labOrious preparations extending
over at least eight or ten years ana IN
! vClying an expense OF several fhouiani
/ dollars, for which remuneration Is AZ last
given, not equal as President Harper
| points out. 20 pay received by many SKILL
. e. workmen In the iron-making industry
/ O. Pennsylvania and by no end % raul
road employees below the rank Of p"esi-
! dent and general management mere
| is practically no class Of college pr0tcs-
sors whose pay is on a level with the
I
/ second rank in the Industrial communi-
| ty'" The conclusion would seem TO be
/ that II remuneration is here governed
/ BY the same laws OF supply and Cenlan |
/ when prevail in Industrial employment5'
| (and Mr.. Harper admits that such IS the
| case 10 a large extent the schools OF
| higher learning have already begun TO be
| patroniZed TO a degree fully equal 10 re
| remarkable increase OF such facil't"s'
But, OF course. this Is not conclusive as
| 20 the fitness Of the large supply "hlch
| has thus responded to the suddenly en-
danced demand. And Mr.. HarpeT's con-
! tentlon is, that even though 1t might be,
as a rule. the colleges and universities
must abandon the supply-and-demand law
| IN fixing salaries aud establish an aroi-
| tray one before the work Of higher edu-
cation can be adequately done. For eN-
ample. 1t may be possible 10 win the ser
vices OF competent man for any chair
at tie prevailing salary OF some S,'c0.
| Now this man can live fairly we'll on such
pay and keep UP his past attainments.
| Put he cannot grow much, and II Is II ths
| fi-st importance that hs should. He can
not Rave much to spend In outside study
| and research ard travel. and the purchase
! OF books and Instruments for private use.
| and II Is important that he should. Pro
| ceeding on the supply-ana-demand rule
| the college can get this man with past
acquirements for the moderate sum stated.
| but II will not get much more. where
| consequence Apparently. howevar, Pres
| ident Harper has no case against himself
| Va tho effort to lift the college salary