Administrators in charge of diversity initiatives at public U.S. colleges and universities pull in an average salary of $175,088, according to a report from Campus Reform.
The report, which revealed the salaries of diversity-related administrators at 43 of the top 50 public universities in the country, revealed that the average diversity officer earns a whopping $175,088 annually.
Of the 43 that were included in the report, over 15 officials earn a salary over $200,000 and two officials earn over $300,000 annually. Included amongst those at the top of the list is University of Virginia Vice President and Chief Officer for Diversity and Equity Marcus Martin, who earns $349,000 annually. The University of Texas at Austin Vice President for Diversity and Engagement Gregory Vincent earns $331,000 annually.
Only three of the 43 schools included in the report employed diversity-related administrators that were earning less than $100,000 annually.
According to the report, the 43 universities in the study pay their diversity officers a combined total of $7,528,821, which would fully fund the average tuition for 257 students.
Certain public universities like UC Berkeley have taken things a step further. Their Office for Diversity and Inclusion employs a staff of 150 whose salaries total over $18 million. Some are calling for these funds to be re-appropriated for usages that would more directly benefit students.
“Let’s turn these funds instead to bringing more deserving students from underserved backgrounds to Berkeley,” Michael Poliakoff, President of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) Poliakoff, said. “It is crucial for boards and leaders to ask whether spending on new administrative salaries will serve the genuine needs of students or just fulfill the wishes of certain administrators.”
Tom Ciccotta is a libertarian who writes about economics and higher education for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter @tciccotta or email him at tciccotta@breitbart.com