UNC -- "Williams' deal rankles" (RN&O)
CoolHandDuke tbdm
Williams' deal rankles
Former UNC president William Friday says the school's integrity is at stake
By JANE STANCILL, Staff Writer
http://www.news-observer.com/sports/story/2955511p-2711141c.html
As the ink dried on Roy Williams' lucrative contract, critics stepped
forward to question the size of the compensation package for the UNC
men's basketball coach and the way the deal was struck.
contract highlights
LENGTH: Eight years
BASE SALARY: $260,000 a year
MEDIA COMPENSATION: $347,300 a year
NIKE CONTRACT : $500,000 a year
EXPENSE ACCOUNT: $25,000 a year
ANNUAL BONUS INCENTIVES: The equivalent of one month's salary (about
$21,000) if the team reaches the NCAA tournament, one month's salary if
the team reaches the final eight in tournament and one month's salary if
players graduate at a rate equal to that of student body. The graduation
rate will be determined by the number of students recruited and enrolled
in any given academic year who subsequently graduate within a six-year
period. Players who leave UNC in good academic standing will not be part
of the calculation.
ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION: $3.9 million spread over five years -- $356,716
to be paid in 2004; $481,105 in 2005; $780,274 in 2006; $878,920 in
2007; and $1,370,063 in 2008
TERMINATION WITHOUT CAUSE: $315,000 plus current salary for the full and
partial years remaining on his contract
Former UNC President William Friday, who led the Knight Commission on
college sports reform, said the integrity of the university was on the
line with the Williams' deal.
"Long ago, the Knight Commission raised the highly divisive issue of
excessive coaches' salaries in college sports, especially when funded in
part by external corporate sources," Friday said. "Recently we were told
the university had failed to retain bright and talented faculty members
in over 50 of the 76 competitive offers because no funds were available.
Here, over $3.8 million was raised quickly in these salary negotiations
to meet the competition. Hopefully, a similar effort and a very strong
one will be undertaken to stop this drain of superior faculty talent."
Faculty Council Chairwoman Judith Wegner called on all involved to
create a $1.6 million fund by next summer to help retain professors and
staff.
She said she understood that Williams' compensation package at UNC was
designed to match his package in Kansas. And even though a majority of
his compensation will come from contracts and private donations, she has
concerns about the message it sends.
"I think it is extraordinarily problematic that when non-academic parts
of the university -- in this instance the men's basketball program --
can and do provide competitive salary levels, while core aspects of our
academic program are unable to do so," she said in an e-mail to the
Faculty Council and other faculty groups.
As UNC administrators have explained recently, Wegner said, "we are
increasingly unable to retain faculty who receive offers from elsewhere,
and effectively tell distinguished faculty members that they must secure
an external offer and have one foot out the door before they receive
salary adjustments at home."
Wegner said she welcomed Williams back to Chapel Hill, but added the
"dramatic juxtaposition of compensation packages for athletics heroes
and stewards of knowledge" should serve as a wake-up call to everyone.
Williams' base salary, $260,000, will exceed that of Chancellor James
Moeser, who is paid $255,625.
Morale on campus has sunk recently, as the university suffered another
round of state budget cuts. This year, UNC 's College of Arts and
Sciences eliminated 22 tenure-track faculty positions and lost 27 jobs
among its maintenance and cleaning staff.
Moeser formed a task force this summer to examine working conditions for
staff, who haven't had meaningful raises in three years -- even as the
workload has grown because of cuts and layoffs. Low-paid housekeepers
and groundskeepers held protests at UNC 's main administrative building
last month.
In an e-mail to campus leaders Friday, Moeser wrote: "You all know that
I'm sensitive to the reaction of our campus community. Times are
difficult, and we certainly haven't been able to appropriately
compensate our faculty and staff in recent years. You all know of my
commitment to improving that situation."
But, he said, Williams' contract reflects the marketplace for the
nation's best basketball coaches. "We wanted the best person to lead our
program, and coach Williams is that person," Moeser wrote.
Friday called into question Moeser's practice of paying coaches bonuses
if players graduate on a par with the student body. That, he said, is
part of the job of every university employee.
UNC is not the only offender when it comes to excessive coach salaries,
the former president said. "What we're talking about is a culture
problem," he said.
"The commission has said the time has come for the American sports
public to look in the mirror and ask itself, 'Is this what I want my
university to be doing?' " Friday said. "How we answer that query is
critical to the future of higher education."
+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+
"This president is a miserable failure in foreign policy and the
economy, and he's got to be replaced!" ~~ Rep. Dick Gephardt
+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+
Dan Barch
> Saturday, October 18, 2003 12:00AM EDT
> Williams' deal rankles
> Former UNC president William Friday says the school's integrity is at stake
> By JANE STANCILL, Staff Writer
> http://www.news-observer.com/sports/story/2955511p-2711141c.html
>
> As the ink dried on Roy Williams' lucrative contract, critics stepped
> forward to question the size of the compensation package for the UNC
> men's basketball coach and the way the deal was struck.
> contract highlights
Maybe Friday didn't do his bit in controlling costs at UNC. University
costs have risen far more than the general price level,with probably
no growth in benefits received, at least at the undergrad level.
Compare tuition and car prices thirty years ago with now.
Michigan State was at the bottom of the Big Ten for faculty salaries
for a long time. Somehow people survived and families got raised. It
is wrong, probably, to blame the budget mess on the Professors. But
they do get status and job security in exchange for lower pay - it is
the the way it is.
The B-Ball coach is getting funds from sources that feel the tie-in
will give them a commercial profit. The rest of the U is funded
differently. They know it too...