U-M Admin Bloat Gets Bloatier

Of late, I have pursued a sideline of following the local media's coverage (or lack of same) regarding the University of Minnesota's nation-leading administrative bloat.  (See 1, 2, 3, and 4)

It all began with a Wall Street Journal front-page exposé that ran before New Year's.  The Journal cited our flagship public university as Exhibit A in what I would characterize as a fin de siècle bout of overhead spending right before the higher education bubble bursts.

For such a prominent national story, local media coverage has been curiously non-existent.  Some reports are starting to trickle out and CityPages blogger Aaron Rupar has a useful round up of the action so far.

Last Friday afternoon, the Star Tribune posted this AP piece, six sentences on U-M President Eric Kaler's appearance at the state Capitol.  He promised state senators that he would hold tuition flat, in exchange for a big state budget increase.  The Associated Press provides "context" for Dr. Kaler's offer, adding, "And it also comes as the university is defending itself against the perception that it is top-heavy with well-paid administrators."

Ah, yes.  It's the perception, not the reality, that is causing the problem.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press takes a rather more critical view of the whole affair and adds the detail that, "The University of Minnesota will hire an outside consultant to review its administrative structure and costs."  [Yes, when bureaucracy gets this big, it takes money to save money.]  I would agree that an outside review may prove more credible, but remember, "He who pays the piper, calls the tune."

The Pioneer Press adds a quote from a state senator who says, "I don't want this matter to become a distraction from the broader conversation about the importance of our investment in higher education."

Goodness no, we wouldn't want that.  May I be so uncouth to suggest that the Journal-identified admin bloat may be evidence that our "investment" has been less than efficient?  No, just forget I said that.

Over the weekend, NBC affiliate KARE TV-11 ran a piece quoting a different state senator as saying, "That is not the place--the front page of the Wall Street Journal--where we want our flagship university."

And that sums up where our local media and politicians come down on this scandal:  some out-of-town meddlers have drawn some unwanted attention and ginned up some unfortunate perceptions that may distract from the important work of further bloating our government-run university.