What Happened To Priorities ?

One of the biggest stories out here on the High Plains yesterday, was the signing of a contract extension for the football coach at Texas Tech University -- Mike Leach. Leach had brought the Tech football program from second-tier status to national power, and that was a feat many did not think was possible. After some rather public arguing, Leach met with Texas Tech Chancellor Kent Hance and a contract extension was agreed to.

In the new agreement, Leach's contract will be extended by three years. That means he is bound to Tech for another five years (he had two years left on his current contract), and over that five year period he will be paid $12.7 million dollars. That's over $2.5 million a year! But that's not out of line with what winning coaches in large schools are being paid these days.

Now I love a good college football or basketball game as much as nearly anyone. I've been known to blow a weekend watching several. But I can't help but think our priorities are completely out of whack.

What is the real purpose of college/university? Isn't it supposed to be to educate students? When did it become big-money entertainment? Or a minor-league system to train professional athletes (most of whom won't even graduate)?

If you are one of those who still believe the purpose of a college is to educate students, don't you have to wonder how they can justify paying coaches millions of dollars. Just think about what the real teachers at Tech (and other schools) are being paid. I'll bet they would be lucky to make 3-5% of Leach's salary, and yet they are the one's actually carrying out the school's mission -- education.

Making this seem even worse, is the fact that colleges have already priced themselves out of reach for many deserving youth, and they seem to keep raising tuition and other costs every year. Many of those lucky enough to find the money to attend a college, find themselves $20,000 to $50,000 in debt upon graduation. All of this is going to get even worse as millions lose their jobs and we slide into a depression.

If Tech (and other large schools) were professional sports franchises, then the huge salaries for coaches would be justified, but they aren't. In this failing economy, colleges should be cutting costs -- not raising them. And they should be putting their limited funds toward educating students. This is needed not only for the students' futures, but also for the future of our country.

It's time for our colleges and universities to get their priorities straight and re-discover their mission. Million dollar coaches' salaries can't be justified any more than million dollar corporate bonuses in this economy.