Landon Block is a political science senior and the Opinion Editor at Mustang News. The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Mustang Media Group.
On Wednesday, the Cal State Board of Trustees voted to increase President Jeffrey Armstrong’s salary by over $100,000, from $509,336 to $611,203, within the next two years. This decision stands in addition to the potential of a new 15% performance bonus (funded through non-student fees), alongside existing housing and travel stipends.
This decision comes right on the heels of historic Cal State funding cuts, which led to Cal State deferring a 5% salary increase won by faculty after a January 2024 strike.
READ MORE: Cal Poly state funding cut by $9.7 million amid statewide budget deficit
Our highest administrators are not the ones who need a 20% pay raise. They don’t feel the squeeze of the affordability crisis affecting the Cal State community, especially at Cal Poly. This money should instead be focused on direct student services and base level faculty: two fundamental aspects of the Cal State system that often go overlooked and undervalued.
For context, Armstrong’s new salary will be 9.2 times the base full-time lecturer salary and 2.7 times the maximum pay for a full-time department chair. And it’s over 2.5 times the official salary of the Governor of California.
Don’t get me wrong, President Armstrong does work hard and provides essential services for Cal Poly. He oversees all of Cal Poly’s campus vision, directs donor relations, manages a merger with Cal Maritime and serves as the face of the university (including testifying for Congress, when asked). There’s a reason university presidents across the country, not just in the Cal State system, are bringing in the big bucks.
The Cal State Board of Trustees argues that top talent is expensive to lure in, so it’s better to invest in retaining existing leadership. The adopted resolution argues that by “investing in its leaders, the CSU is investing in the success of its students, the strength of its campuses, and the future of California.”
If the Cal State system was really interested in investing in student success, why is it not investing this money into hands-on student programs, upgrading ageing facilities, reducing student tuition or increasing base-level pay for faculty and staff?
I would argue all of these actions have a greater impact on student success and campus strength than adding another $100,000 to Armstrong’s already cushy compensation package.
I don’t think I’m the only one who feels this way. When Mustang News reported this decision on social media, the comments were also full of frustrated voices. The faculty association’s San Luis Obispo Chapter President Lisa Kawamura shared her discontent with Mustang News.
“The chancellor is deciding to give those high-paid executives a raise instead of putting the money where it ought to be, which is with the lowest paid workers in our system,” Kawamura said. “The people who do the work day in and day out.”
Focusing Cal State resources where it really matters
All of this speaks to a larger issue: Cal Poly is facing an affordability crisis, and the Cal State refuses to provide for the people who make this university community what it is (well, except for one person).
Everything relating to Cal Poly is expensive. We are the most expensive Cal State to attend due to our extremely high mandatory student fees. On-campus housing prices have soared over the last decade, as have prices on the off-campus housing market. Our cheapest campus dining plans are more expensive than most schools’ premier plans, and the food is still lacklustre at best. Nearly 40% of Cal Poly students don’t know how they’ll get their next meal.
With all due respect, President Armstrong isn’t feeling the brunt of this crisis. With his half a million-dollar salary, on-campus home and covered transportation, he doesn’t have to worry about the rising cost of living in SLO. While his leadership is valuable for the university, this raise is a slap in the face to the students, faculty and staff struggling to make ends meet.
Cal Poly’s faculty and staff deserve living wages that reflect the immense value they bring to the university. Cal Poly’s students deserve to thrive in a university environment that doesn’t break the bank. Cal Poly’s administrators also deserve to get compensated for their work.
All of these things can coexist, but it’s harder to do as budgets run thin. Exorbitant salaries only make the strain even worse. The Cal State Board of Trustees must reevaluate its priorities to show that it values its students and staff just as much as (if not more than) administrators.
