U of A president’s pay is not excessive

Re. “Cabinet minister’s broadside directed at the wrong target,” Paula Simons, March 22

Paula Simons is wise to be concerned about Minister Marlin Schmidt’s “drive-by smear” of University of Alberta president David Turpin.

The U of A is among Canada’s, and the globe’s, finest universities. It does not enjoy this select company as a result of the actions of the present or any previous Alberta government.

The minister’s comments raise the spectre of interference by a government of the day in matters that are the responsibility of the university’s administration and board of governors.

Standards of comparison for the U of A are global, not local. By those standards, Dr. Turpin’s compensation is not excessive (there are university presidents in the English-speaking world with far higher earnings).

The university’s board is in a better position than the minister to determine compensation to hire and retain a president of Dr. Turpin’s calibre. The board is also better positioned, and statutorily responsible, for fixing budgets necessary for the university to do its work well.

Minister Schmidt should refrain from substituting his judgment for that of university officials who are entrusted with guiding the affairs of this excellent university.

Peter MacKinnon, Canmore