University of Nebraska now spends more on administrators and managers than on faculty

LINCOLN, Neb. (Flatwater Free Press) - At first glance, they look like raises.

At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a music professor’s salary jumped $13,000 in the past decade. A University of Nebraska at Kearney political science professor’s grew by $15,000. A University of Nebraska at Omaha social work professor got a $19,000 bump.

But then you factor in inflation, and the financial reality becomes clear: All three actually took serious pay cuts. When adjusted, the music professor suffered a pay slash of 16%.

It’s part of a profound shift in how the University of Nebraska makes money, spends money — and who it spends money on.

In 2000, NU paid its administrators and professional staff $155 million. This year, a quarter century later, that number has more than tripled to $484 milli