Dr. Jackson deserves her salary. I can personally say that as a freshman, I still remember the college search process like it were yesterday. Dr. Jackson’s achievements on behalf of RPI is a big part of why I chose to come here.

I got into other “tech” schools, but what set RPI apart was how rapidly the university is progressing and changing to meet the demands of a world class education. Compare what she’s done during her tenure to the achievements of those other university presidents’ salaries you compare hers to.

While the comparison may not be perfect, the overall impression of Dr. Jackson’s tenure is pretty damn impressive compared to other universities content with being “good enough.” I’m proud to be part of RPI and hope everybody takes a good look at what Dr. Jackson has done for US. I know it’s fun to rally against those in a higher position of power (it happens in national politics all the time), but any sort of outrage or anger over what she makes is just stupid.

Let’s focus on the issues on our campus that money can’t buy– openness, school spirit, and extra-curricular strength.

My statement is in response from questions from media outlets on the performance of our president. I certainly did not want my statement to be a full endorsement of the Dr. Jackson, as there are plenty of issues that need to be addressed between the RPI administration and the student body. I however feel that what she has done is certainly notable and would acknowledge her hard work.
Growing up the Capital District, I met Dr. Pipes (Dr. Jackson’s Predecessor) and knew what the RPI of 10+ years ago was like; I can say that I probably would not have attended RPI if it weren’t for the prominence that is has today. Would you?
I certainly could see a different perspective than the average student on the subject, but I’d ask the student body to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. It’s easy to criticize, but it’s a lot more effective to find the good that has happened. We certainly should continue to point out the problems, but we can work on them with a strong relationship to see how to solve them.
I’m always available to talk, i find conversation is easier than typing out responses, so i invite anyone who wants to talk about this (or any other topic) to stop by the GM/PU office if I’m there or shoot me an e-mail so we can schedule a meeting time.
And it’s Grand Marshal, not Grand Marshall…

I would tend to agree that it is a very large sum of money; that being said, however, Dr. Jackson has done some amazing things for RPI. Yes, not everything she has done has been fantastic, but overall, she had a strong vision which she definitely carried out. As our GM said, the Institute 10 years ago was a very different place that I doubt many of us would currently be attending under such conditions.

If you have ever attended a concert in EMPAC or a game up at ECAV or done research in the biotech building …. well, you have Dr. Jackson to thank for that. Ok, letting go staff under the layoffs in January was not good, but it was a step many universities across the country were taking (and at greater levels). The foreign language thing was absolutely disappointing, but I bet many of you didn’t see that Gutmann will be returning as an adjunct professor to teach a couple writing classes (this made my DAY when I heard!).

Dr. Jackson also gives more back to RPI than many students know about, and the BoT is competing, I’m sure, to keep her here rather than have her leave for another school or other non-academia position (remember she used to be head of the NRC); salary is obviously a part of that.

Plus the number is TWO YEARS OLD (as in, pre-economic downturn)! True, that’s not to say that she’s not still number one on salary, but we don’t KNOW what the situation currently is, so we cannot make a completely informed statement .

And finally, the part everyone always seems to forget about … the BoT sets her salary, so it’s not like she is ASKING to be paid that sum. Obviously it’s nice, but she doesn’t set it for herself so attacking her won’t do a thing except make her further inaccessible to ignorant students who don’t care enough to find out the whole picture (wonder why it’s not Pizza with the PRESIDENT anymore?). The Board set her salary as they see fit, and they obviously value her as a president.

We, as students, cannot change it. But there are ways to make your voices heard if there is an INFORMED opinion behind it. Going around with torches and pitchforks just for the sake of it is stupid. Voice your opinions at the town meeting on Wednesday, but for god’s sake, do it in a smart manner. If you attack without being adequately informed, you will look like the stupid one.

Think before you speak (that goes for you too RPInsider!).

I have yet to hear anyone say that Jackson sets her own salary, and I think many people agree that she’s done a lot for the university. Despite the fact that the salary number is pre-economic downturn, she still makes (and made) an absurdly large sum compared to others in her position and even the president of the united states. I think it’s entirely valid to state that you believe her salary is higher than it should be. I have yet to hear one uninformed person talk about it; everyone that’s complained to me has had their facts straight. Criticizing those who complain about a situation as being uninformed only works if they ARE uninformed.

I think that, as students struggling to pay tuition, it’s hard to see that salary and not feel a bit insulted. Trying to pay my bursar bill with money I don’t have is hard enough without getting the news that our president received enough money to pay my full tuition almost 42 times. It may not be any real argument against her salary, but it’s a sentiment many students are feeling and it’s easy to understand their bitterness.

She does deserve a large salary; she has done a lot for the school. Does she deserves more than any other university president in the nation? I don’t think so, nor do many other students–even with EMPAC and ECAV and Biotech, students might have some disagreements with some of Jackson’s decisions. It doesn’t mean we’re ignorant; it doesn’t mean we don’t know the whole picture–it means we disagree and we feel entitled to admit it.

Ok, to clarify, the problem I have is students directing anger solely towards Jackson. It’s fine to be angry, but be angry at the people who set her salary and not the administration. In directing sentiments like that towards the wrong people, students act ignorant and not very well informed and will only shut doors. The BoT will not be at the town meeting, but they don’t seem to care that they are paying that much for her salary anyway.

If there is bitterness, direct it at the right people.

kml :
She does deserve a large salary; she has done a lot for the school. Does she deserves more than any other university president in the nation? I don’t think so, nor do many other students–even with EMPAC and ECAV and Biotech, students might have some disagreements with some of Jackson’s decisions. It doesn’t mean we’re ignorant; it doesn’t mean we don’t know the whole picture–it means we disagree and we feel entitled to admit it.

I think too many students have an exaggerated sense of entitlement. You say that she deserves a large salary, but not that large. What are you basing that on? You cannot possibly know what factors when into that decision, nor are you entitled to know.

Life isn’t fair, kids… some people make more money than you. Get over it.

Wait a sec, I have an exaggerated sense of entitlement because I feel entitled to have an opinion? Last I checked, I’m an informed member of this university; I’ve watched what our president has done for our community over the past few years (during which she appears to have received a fairly significant raise, given that she wasn’t the highest-paid president before 07-08 financial year). I’m perfectly entitled to have an opinion. Obviously I’m not entitled to any actual input into what her salary is, but telling someone they aren’t entitled to have an opinion on the decisions made at a university they pay $52,000 a year to attend is pretty ridiculous.

I’m not complaining that she makes more money than me. I’m just saying that we generally expect salary to correlate to job performance, and I don’t know if many people would consider Jackson to be the best university president in the country.

As a senior at RPI, I think this is as simple as one can make it: we are paying large amounts of money for an education that should be equivalent to that sum of money. I feel as though I am getting the quality of education I can expect – my professors are amazing. I do not feel, however, I am getting the quality of experience I expect from this school. I am basing this expectation on not just the amount of money Dr. Jackson is getting paid to run this school (and therefore my educational experience), but also the bragging rights she has taken for the amount of money raised. I have NOT seen the quality of my experience go up since that money was raised. Yes I can see big-name concerts at EMPAC. And yes, I can enjoy sports in a top-quality stadium.

I cannot, however, have peace of mind that I can take the courses I want semester to semester because I do not know if my (adjunct) professors (who make up almost the entirety of the professors in my major) will still be employed to take those courses. I cannot consult with an adviser who has known me since I’ve started school here, because my adviser was “inadvertently” laid off during the December lay-offs of last year. I cannot boast that the facilities for my classes are in top condition – the labs in J-Rowl are lacking in functioning equipment, West Hall is falling apart on the inside and rarely cleaned, and Russell Sage more often than not has malfunctioning electronic equipment. I cannot say, either, that I am as excited to go to this school as I was as a freshman, because morale on campus is quite awful when these issues come up. The president says there is an open line of communication on campus, but she doesn’t wish to hear the things that are said, over and over, about our campus experience.

So yes, I believe that if our campus president is making more money than any other, I should be able to say I feel she deserves that money based on my overall college experience at RPI. I am the student. Don’t I deserve to feel my place is the most important at my college?