UC Boss Mark Yudof's Case Against Himself

System's head tells NY Times his salary is exaggerated

As the University of California board considers hiking tuition and cutting staff and faculty positions because of the state's budget mess, a new interview from the New York Times is sure to add fuel to the already heated debate about the system's financial troubles and the call for firing its president.

In an interview with the New York Times this week, UC President Mark Yudof talked about the state's budget shortfall and how his salary has been "exaggerated" by the media.

Yudof answered the suggestion to close the budget gap by cutting his own salary with a revealing answer:

Q: When you began your job last year, your annual compensation was reportedly $828,000.
A: It actually was $600,000 until I cut my pay by $60,000. So my salary is $540,000, but it gets amplified because people say, "You have a pension plan."

Yudof's interview with the Times, titled Big Man on Campus, will only amplify the argument that he should be forced out of his position. UC workers and union members overwhelmingly approved a vote of no-confidence in Yudof. The vote was organized by the labor union that represents about 70,000 of the university's 180,000 employees.

The UC head also said during the interview that the "shine is off" education and adds that his inflated salary doesn't compare to President Barack Obama's because he doesn't get the same perks.

"Will you throw in Air Force One and the White House?"

Maybe that's the house he'd prefer to occupy.

Photo from UC Berkeley

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