As you've probably heard, our Deputy Assistant Governor Pat McCrory gave a wee bit of a little raise to a couple of staffers.

Ricky Diaz and Matt McKillip worked for McCrory's campaign and were hired, respectively as the Department of Health and Human Services Communications Director and Chief Policy Advisor. In April, McCrory gave Diaz a raise of $23,000, giving him an annual salary of $85,000. McKillip got a raise of $22,500, giving him an annual salary of $87,500.

Both Diaz and McKillip, btw, are fresh out of college. Before working for the McCrory campaign, Diaz worked for Chris Christie. McKillip graduated from Georgetown and worked with the conservative American Enterprise Institute.

Many are shocked that two such inexperienced employees would get such a high salary. Could it be a couple of plum political jobs for some "friends"? Should the state be paying so much money to someone right out of college?

Do you think Art Pope might be outraged about these high salaries?

You bet he is!

Let's find out more …

Art Pope, of course, was appointed by McCrory as NC's budget director. Of course the fact that he "has invested millions in a network of foundations and think tanks that are designed to further conservative and free market ideas" didn't have anything to do with that, I'm sure.

But I digress.

One of Pope's foundations is the John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy. In June 1999, the Pope Center published a commentary expressing outrage that faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill were being paid such high salaries.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill pays professors the fifth-highest average salary among public universities of its kind, a study by the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy has found. The other Research I institution in North Carolina, North Carolina State University, also pays its professors well comparatively, with an average salary greater than the nationwide average for public Research I institutions. The study examined 56 Research I institutions' salaries adjusted for the cost of living at each institution's location.

Gee. Research and numbers! Tell us more!

The effect is that the professors here, even when they receive fewer dollars than professors living in such high-cost areas as Boston, New York and Los Angeles, are given dollars that go a lot farther because of the relatively low cost of living in the Triangle.

Those UNC faculty must be rich! Sounds like the faculty are rolling in the dough!

I wonder how much those salaries are.

According to the study, UNC-CH's salary for professors ($88,000) was bested by salaries at only four other Research I institutions (see the list below) and was well ahead of the average salary for all public Research I institutions ($78,100). N.C. State's salary of $81,900 was also higher than the average. The salaries for associate professors at UNC-Chapel Hill ($64,700) ranked third and at N.C. State ($58,800) ranked 19th (the average was $56,100). Both institutions' salaries for assistant professors ranked in the top ten; N.C. State's ($51,800) ranked fifth, and UNC-CH's ($50,800) ranked eighth (the average was $46,700). Salaries across the faculty ranks at both institutions also were above the averages among all Research I institutions, public and private (professor, $81,100; associate professor, $56,700; assistant professor, $47,500).

Wow - $88,000 a year for a professor?!? Associate professors $64,700!?!

Outrageous!!!!

Wait …. what did those two recent college grads make?!?

Well ... I'm sure Mr. Pope will be expressing his concern about wasting our state tax dollars and calling for Governor McCrory's resignation tomorrow.

Right, Arthur?