Daniels cuts merit raises of top Purdue staff - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Purdue University President Mitch Daniels is eliminating merit raises for administrators earning more than $50,000 annually for two years.

Purdue posted a message from Daniels on his web page Monday saying the move will apply to senior administrators, deans and administrative and professional staff. He says it will save the university $5 million over the next two years.

He says Purdue will announce additional cost-cutting moves in the next few weeks as it finds ways to cover the estimated $40 million cost of freezing tuition rates through 2015. He says he wants Purdue to eliminate costs beyond that to pay for scholarships or a longer tuition freeze.

"It has been too easy in higher education for institutions to decide first what they would like to spend, and then raise student bills to produce the desired funds. That approach has run its course. At Purdue, we will make our first goal affordability, accommodating our spending to students'budgets and not the other way around," Daniels wrote.

Daniels became Purdue's president in January after completing two terms as Indiana's governor.

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