Ever considered a career in education? Being a part of a university's administration nowadays can be as lucrative as a partner position in a law firm. Is it right that administrators earn a salary that is increasing disproportionate to that of the professors at their institution? According to a survey published in The Chronicle of Higher Education ("What presidents make," Nov. 18 issue), university presidents across the country are earning increasingly higher salaries, and some are running into increasingly serious scandals because of it.Take Benjamin Ladner, the former president of American University. When he arrived at AU back in 1994, the endowment was a paltry $29 million, the school had 4,600 applicants a year, and his salary was a (relatively) modest $225,000, according to The Washington Post. By last year, its endowment had grown to $262 million, the applicant pool to 13,000 and Ladner's salary and benefits grew to a little over $800,000. Unfortunately for Ladner, an anonymous letter sparked inquiry into his misappropriation of compensation from the university and eventually led to his discharge. His use of "non-personal funds" happened to include money to pay for someone to train his wife in computer skills, someone to oversee their wardrobes, someone to oversee his silver closets and butler pantry, and a quarterly inventory of all his silver flatware.

Ladner is not alone in his lavish living style. According to The Chronicle, Donald E. Ross, president of Lynn University in Florida, is the highest-paid president in the country, earning a compensation package totaling over $5 million for this year. Other high-rollers include E. Gordon Gee of Vanderbilt University ($1.33 million), John R. Silber of Boston University ($1.25 million), and John M. McCardell Jr. of Middlebury College ($1.21 million). Public university presidents aren't too shabby either: Mary Sue Coleman of the University of Michigan tops the bunch, with $724,604 a year, and John T. Casteen III of the University of Virginia receives $659,670. Why do these presidents earn so much more than the median $360,000 for a college president, or even than the president of the United States (about $400,000)?

Many argue that a president is to a university what a CEO is to a for-profit corporation. Presidents are responsible for multimillion-dollar institutions, for handling their university's fiscal, moral and education policies, as well as public relations and support.

Our own president-Jehuda Reinharz, whose total compensation was $370,186 for the 2004-05 academic year, according The Chronicle of Higher Education-is responsible for securing an incredible amount of funds for Brandeis, in a large part due to his successful $470 million campaign goal for 2006.

A president is a major investment for a university. AU took a chance on Ladner and saw its endowment increase almost tenfold and its applicant pool nearly triple in size. Even after the scandal was over, AU thanked him with a $4 million severance package.

Universities rely on their presidents to attract donors and grants the way a CEO would woo stockholders and engineer mergers. In order to attract the best people for the job, institutions of higher learning find it necessary to ensure that successful presidents will stay put by compensating them accordingly.

Paradoxically, while top presidential salaries have increased by as much as 35 percent in last year, faculty salaries nationwide are rising barely in pace with inflation (around three to four percent), according to The Yale Daily News.

The case could certainly be made that a professor has much more of an impact on future endowment and donations than a president could ever have. Probably many more alumni remember an amazing professor in their introductory economics class, or an incredible academic who chose to take a semester to teach a unique course. Colleges should try investing in the best professors in the field by raising their pay, in the hope that this move will have a more direct influence on their students.

Professors at Brandeis and our own president earn only slightly more than the national average, according to the Boston Business Journal. We as students should take note of our president's commitment to our school, and be sure to remember the professors who made a difference when we make a donation some day down the road. In this way, we can continue a trend of appreciation for people who are here for something other than their paycheck.