All Posts Tagged With: "salaries"
The 10 biggest stories in Canadian higher education
The (surprisingly) most-read stories of 2011
Photo by Kelly Finnamore on Flickr
Each year, we offer Maclean’s On Campus readers a look back at the Top 10 most-read higher education news stories of the year. There were two big themes in 2011. First, the many scandals over universities’ reputations, from Alberta to Queen’s to St. FX. Second, uncertainty about the job market for grads.
1. Time for this year’s edition of X-ring Idol
Our blogging English professor, Todd Pettigrew, dared to compare the obsession of St. Francis Xavier students with their beloved X-ring to Gollum’s unhealthy quest for the precious. We knew St. FX students would defend their tradition vociferously—and they did, with more than 250 comments over three days. Most were from alumni and students who thought Pettigrew missed the point. They argued that the ring symbolizes their hard work and the family-like bond they instantly glean whenever a fellow X-grad catches a glimpse of their band. Then again, dozens of readers agreed with Pettigrew—some even suggested the flood of emotional reactions reinforced his point.
Continue reading The 10 biggest stories in Canadian higher education
Bloggers prove that not all students support McGill strike
Union says they’re a “small minority”
McGill students. By shahk on Flickr.
In the war of words between McGill’s administration and MUNACA, the union representing 1,700 support staff who have been on strike since Sep. 1, a new battalion of students has emerged— and they’re fighting for Principal Heather Munroe-Blum.
Since the blog Exposing MUNACA went online Nov. 9, it has been viewed roughly 25,000 times.
The bloggers are physics student Peter Guo and English student Kayla Herbert. Their critique of MUNACA fills a hole in the public debate, considering that both the Students’ Society of McGill University and the McGill Daily newspaper have sided with the union.
In response to the popular blog, Joel Pedneault, SSMU’s vice-president of external affairs, told the Montreal Gazette today that he will send an e-mail to all students with more “objective” facts. “When they see the conditions at other universities, they will see MUNACA’s side,” he said.
Continue reading Bloggers prove that not all students support McGill strike
Canada’s most lucrative business schools
Hint: the top three aren’t in Toronto
#4. Schulich at York by of Elango on Flickr.
Canadian Business has released its annual MBA Guide and, along with it, a slideshow that shows potential students what they want to know most—which MBA gets the best return on investment?
Here are the top five MBAs in Canada by R.O.I.
1. Desautels (McGill, Montreal, Que.)
Entering Salary: $49,000
Starting Salary: $112,000
(Tuition $65,000)
2. Dalhousie (Halifax, N.S.)
Entering Salary: $33,000
Starting Salary: $67,000
(Tuition $38,879)
How much should professors make?
In my opinion, they’re paid well enough already.
Photo by ggbaker on Panoramio
More than 1,000 students at Brandon University have signed a petition asking for their tuition money back because of a faculty strike that caused classes to be cancelled since Oct. 12.
But the Brandon University Student’s Union (BUSU), which has collected the signatures, doesn’t blame the professors—who are striking for the second time in three years—for their three weeks of missed classes. BUSU supports the picketing profs. They agree they’re underpaid.
But are Brandon’s professors really underpaid? More importantly—are professors underpaid in general? It’s a question students and taxpayers should ask—they’re the ones who pay the bills.
This is how much your professors make
Professor salaries didn’t grow much last year
Photo courtesy of jeremy.wilburn on Flickr
Statistics Canada has released their annual professor salary report. Across 29 universities, average salaries for full-time teaching staff grew 2.5 per cent, from $113,148 in 2010 to $116,024 in 2011. Prices also rose 2.7 per cent for the 12 months ending in July, so it’s not much of a gain.
But women did make gains. The report shows a 1.3 per cent rise in the share of women teachers, compared to a 0.3 per cent rise the year before. Still, men account for 62.4 per cent of staff.
Here is the median pay for associate professors.*
Top 10 highest paid university officials in Canada
Click to see who made more than $1-million last year
Here are the Top 10 highest paid university officials in Canada, ranked by their base salaries.*
1. David Johnson
University of Waterloo president (now Governor General of Canada) — $1,041,881
2. Moriarty William
president of the University of Toronto Asset Management Corp. — $697,020
3. Amit Chakma
vice-president of the University of Waterloo (but president of Western as of July, 2010) — $500,000
Continue reading Top 10 highest paid university officials in Canada
Will this degree get me a high-paying job?
British students will soon be able to answer that question
Britain’s government plans to rank universities using graduate employment rates and starting salaries in a bid to “name and shame” programs whose graduates aren’t finding good jobs, reports The Telegraph.
Students who want to pick a degree that will give them better job prospects currently have little to go on, said David Willetts, Minister of State for Universities. He explained that future students “will be able to see [that] ‘if I do biological sciences at one university, I have got a much better chance of a job in a pharmaceutical company than if I do biological sciences at a different university.”
Eventually, a website will allow students to comparison shop by letting them compare tuition rates alongside genuine salary and employment figures. The plan comes after the government faced protests for raising the cap on tuition fees, sending many up to the new maximum of $14,000 per year. (In comparison, average tuition in Canada is $6,500.)
Program-specific salary and employment data is not readily available in Canada. In Ontario, schools must release information on how many students are employed, but there are no details available on whether they’re working in their chosen field — or how much they’re being paid.
That lack of information may have contributed to unrealistic expectations about what students will make five years after starting work. A 2010 survey of 24,000 Canadian students found that university students were expecting an average salary of $70,000 within five years of graduation. In reality, those aged 25 to 30 average $45,000 and those aged 31 to 35 average $51,000.
Governor general earned more than $1 million in 2010
As president of the University of Waterloo, David Johnston was the highest paid academic in Ontario
Governor general David Johnston was the highest paid academic in Ontario for 2010. Johnston earned $1,056,813 as president of the University of Waterloo, a post he held until being sworn in for his current role last fall. In fact, not only was Johnston the highest paid academic in the province, he was the second highest paid public servant overall, according to the government’s sunshine list which publishes the names of public employees who earn more than $100,000. Ontario Power Generation President and CEO Tom Mitchell topped the list at $1,335,000.
Student union executive pay — Western Canada edition
How much does your student union president make?
Two weeks ago, my OnCampus colleague Dean Tester did some sleuthing on the salaries earned by student union executives in Ontario. Seeing as how it got the interweb comment board buzzing, I thought I would follow it up with a look at what our student leaders make west of the Canadian Shield (Western Canada, for those not geographically inclined).
Most of these numbers comes from a report done by the UBC student union (better known as the AMS), which had a committee review the salaries of their own executives. So these numbers come from either available budgets/minutes, or correspondence between the AMS committee and executives at other universities. So without further adieu:
University of Calgary: $35,160
Simon Fraser University: $30,000
University of Victoria: $25,077 (This number is very approximate—they’re expected to work 37.5 a week at $12.86 an hour)
University of Manitoba: $25,000 (This is a number from 2005—it’s been raised by CPI every year since then)
University of British Columbia: $25,000
University of Alberta: $24,000
University of Saskatchewan: $22,494
University of Regina: $20,656.56
University of Lethbridge: $19,200
Big, fat cheques for student execs
Are students getting their money’s worth from student leaders?
Being a student union executive is not an easy job. It’s (more or less) a full time job that deals with serious issues, with the added pressure of being in the public eye. Balancing the demands of a diverse student population with one’s own beliefs is a difficult task, especially when coupled with fiscal and legal responsibilities.
So imagine how frustrating it must be when somebody like me is sitting across the table, criticizing every move you make and demanding better at every turn.
But when you are getting paid upwards of $30,000 a year like executives of the Carleton University Students’ Association, students have a right to demand better.
And students like myself will, because we care. I care about students, and I care about how my money is spent. That’s why last week I found myself vocally opposed to the CUSA budget, proposed by vice-president finance Meera Chander.
I thought I brought up a pretty good point. The original budget, presented to the financial review committee before the meeting, had a typo – one that meant Chander had an additional $9,000 to spend on behalf of the students. But instead of taking her time and finding the best way to spend that money, she created a $9,000 contingency fund.
I thought Chander owed it to herself and the students to take a little time and review that spending. I suggested we could pass the budget at the next meeting. She’s worked hard on that budget for three months. It hardly seemed fair to make a snap decision on $9,000.
To be honest, I don’t think a contingency fund is a bad idea. In fact, considering how much contingency cash CUSA spent last year during the Ottawa bus strike, it might be a good way to spend that money. But if it was absolutely necessary, why didn’t she budget any money for contingency to begin with?
She didn’t respond to my critique. And neither did any other member of the executive. Not even a council member.
Maybe it’s because the meeting was held late Friday night, and people just wanted to go home. Maybe councillors were genuinely more interested in what was happening on their cell phones. Or maybe they didn’t want to squabble over $9,000 in a budget of nearly $1.9 million.
But whatever the case, they simply didn’t care enough to discuss it. Maybe it would have been different if it was coming out of Chander’s pocket – heck, a $9,000 pay cut would almost bring her down to the average for a student union executive.
But it’s not coming out of her pocket. It’s coming out of mine, and every other undergraduate student who attends Carleton University.
That’s why I care.
I don’t think student executive salaries are too high. But if the average student knew how much student executives got paid, or knew they had multi-million dollar budgets, they might be a little less apathetic.
So I urge students everywhere to consider this question: are you getting your money’s worth?
I am eager to hear your responses.
How much does your professor earn?
If your institution is in Ontario, you might be able to find out
I don’t know, but if your institution is in Ontario, you might be able to find out here!
Can’t believe I hadn’t seen this before. I can attest that what professors are getting in Ontario is across-the-board higher than what they’re getting at MUN, as our government can confirm: here’s a fairly comprehensive Statscan report on the subject, albeit without the juicy details. Not that that’s wrong, mind you.
