Public universities in the United States are suffering from administrative bloat, according to the Goldwater Institute. From 1993 to 2007, four-year public institutions of higher learning expanded their ratio of administrative staff per 100 students by 39%, while teaching and research staff levels grew by less than 10%. The same disparity did not apply to private universities, where the ratio growth of administrators and instructors was roughly the same (40%).

 

At some public universities, the disparity was particularly dramatic. Arizona State University increased the number of administrators per 100 students by 94% while reducing the number of faculty, research and service personnel by 2%.

 

Both public and private institutions cut back on clerical staff ratios, with private universities dropping 15.5% and public universities 28.5%

-David Wallechinsky

 

Administrative Bloat at American Universities: The Real Reason for High Costs in Higher Education (by Jay P. Greene, Brian Kilda and Jonathan Mills, Goldwater Institute) (pdf)