The College Try 

Editor:

Both the Journal and Times-Standard have recently run stories regarding the retirement of the president of College of the Redwoods ("CR Prez to Retire," Sept. 18). Mentioned in the Times article was the fact that the current incumbent is the 6th president in the school's 50 year history. Not mentioned, however, is the following:

The current president is the fourth one in the last 12 years not including various interim presidents who stepped in temporarily;

The grotesque amount of money that has been shelled out on a salary for just one position that's been occupied by only two individuals in the last six years;

The disgusting waste of money spent on filling this position over the years because the school seems to think it's necessary to use a third party outside source and they don't come cheap. Gee, what's the matter with using the College's HR department? Are the employee's in this office not up to the task of finding a replacement?

The need to pay a special trustee a monthly five-figure salary for a week's worth of work? Two years on, is this still continuing?

Although the school is now out of the accreditation mess it has been in since 1999, financially it's not the same picture. Total enrollment teeters around 4,000 students currently, however the amount of money that has been spent for salaries, health benefits, housing allowances and other stipends to secure someone in the position of president for this college borders on the ludicrous. As such, given the current picture and overall health of the economy now and for the rest of this decade, is it absolutely necessary to pay more than $200,000 dollars a year or more for one position at this institution? What exactly is the taxpayer of Humboldt County getting for this kind of money that has been spent over the last ten years?

T Kirschbaum, Fields Landing