Jim Tressel and Youngstown State University

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Within the last year I started a thread about the insanely high salaries of college basketball and football coaches at state universities in the United States (and the Forum search engine is not working properly and it won't let me search myself).

Moving ahead, I am sure that many of you (I hope) saw press releases announcing the hiring of Jim Tressel as the new president of YSU. The previous YSU president quit after only eight months in the position to take the same position at Southern Illinois University. When he left his salary at YSU was $375,000 per year.

As many of you (my wife and I included) with children in college know, even college presidents at state universities are taking a hit for their high salaries compared to the people who actually teach the students. YSU and Tressel signed a three year agreement on Monday and it was quite refreshing to read what he will be paid: The first two year he will be paid $300,000 per year and for the third year, the Board of Trustees will determine his salary dependent upon his performance as president in the previous two years. Quite a position for a college president to take: Take less money than his predecessor for two years and then let his bosses decide if he deserves a raise or pay cut for the third year.

I just hope he can find time to coach the football team too. YSU has only made the playoffs once since he left and the last three years has monumental collapses at the end of the season to miss the playoffs.

Go Penguins!

MTD, Sr.

[SWMOzebra]

That's very refreshing to read. Considering the amount of the check I will be writing to Baylor in just a few weeks for my son to attend class there this fall as a freshman, I marvel that a university president anywhere would accept a lesser salary than his/her predecessor.