Cut salaries, not jobs, to save money

I have misgivings about the Board of Regent's hiring Deloitte, an out-of-state consulting firm to recommend measures to cut costs at regents institutions.

I have worked at the University of Iowa for 34 years as administrator and have witnessed such attempts come and go without any long-term savings, but with enormous grief to good workers whose jobs were needlessly eliminated.

The board's priority should be to preserve jobs and expand the work force. Jobs give dignity to our fellow citizens and are crucial to our state's economy. Paying Deloitte $3.3 million to cut Iowa jobs is foolhardy and insane. The only winner is Deloitte. The big loser is the Iowa taxpayer and the good folks whose jobs will be eliminated.

The University of Iowa administration bureaucracy contains so many layers of vice-presidents and associate vice presidents with shamefully inflated salaries. One effective way to cut costs is to cut the salaries of these administrators to a reasonable level, starting with the president and down the line. Leave clerks and secretaries alone. They earn their salaries.

This is my recommendation to save more than $3 million: Eliminate Deloitte.

Paul G. Etre

Coralville