Strapped Campuses Grumble About Presidents' Mansions

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 12, 2009 4:15 AM CDT
Strapped Campuses Grumble About Presidents' Mansions
Harvard University President Drew Faust poses on Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Mass.   (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

An opulent, rent-free mansion complete with staff is one of the perks of the job for many university presidents but the luxury is beginning to grate on financially strapped campuses, the Boston Globe reports. A chorus of complaints can be heard on campuses hit by layoffs, and universities like Harvard and MIT balked at letting the Globe's reporter gain access to the presidential mansions and estates.

Presidents like Harvard's Drew Faust, who lives in a 12-room colonial mansion dating from 1767, may be reluctant to show off their homes because "there’s an image issue here: presidents living in splendor," said a spokesman from the American Council on Education. The council's latest survey found that 28% of college presidents live in university-owned housing, while another 20% receive a housing allowance. Few people think that the homes should be sold, but some suggest the presidents take a pay cut to help with the cost.
(More Harvard stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X