Senior Alex Shoucair, a Hatchet columnist, discusses the large paycheck that Trachtenberg received from the University.
Finally! GW has actually been ranked No. 1 in something – the size of our former president’s compensation. Checking in at whopping $3.7 million, our ex-president (and current faculty member) Stephen Joel Trachtenberg raked in more than twice as much as the nation’s next highest-paid former University administrator in 2007-2008, according to the Chronicle for Higher Education. But in a year filled with public derision of astronomical executive compensation packages, the payout given to “SJT” is sure to raise eyebrows and more than a bit of criticism.
We’re constantly complaining about how expensive GW is, but there are always more and more needless expenses that GW seems to support – and even encourage! Specifically I’m referring to SJT’s $3.7 million check and last January’s failed float at the parade, while courses with less than ten students are canceled. Yes, the money for these different things comes from different sources, but the university should not cut academics in order to spend money on other things. GW needs to rethink its priorities.