Presidential Salaries and Public Scrutiny: What's Fair?

What do college presidents do, anyway? There was a time when American college presidents were looked to for intellectual, and even political, leadership. One of the most famous examples is Woodrow Wilson, who, as the head of Princeton University, was recruited to become governor of New Jersey in 1910 and, just two years later, was the successful Democratic candidate for president of the United States. The author, himself president of a liberal-arts college, writes that the job of a college president has evolved considerably over the last half-century, and encompasses a wide range of duties, including financial management, personal counseling to many and diverse constituents, dispensing of patronage, dispute settlement, and social connection.