The $400,000 Man

Poor Dr. Ronald M. Berkman. He hasn't even started his new job as the sixth president of Cleveland State University, and all anyone can talk about is how much money he's going to make.

Granted, it is a lot of money. As CSU President, Dr. Berkman will earn a base salary of $400,000 - almost a full $100,000 more than his predecessor, President Michael Schwartz. He'll earn the third highest salary among presidents of public universities in Ohio, topping his counterparts at much larger schools like Ohio University and Miami University.

Furthermore, his base compensation - which doesn't include typical perks like annual bonuses and car allowances - is equal to that of the president of the United States.

When asked about his salary at a press conference last Thursday - his first public appearance at CSU - Dr. Berkman offered no comment. But when The Cauldron asked some CSU students how they felt about the matter, the response was much different.

Take a look at some of the opinions students shared with us about the new $400,000 man of the hour, Dr. Ronald M. Berkman. Welcome to Cleveland, Dr. Berkman. We're only hard on you at first.

"I don't mind paying this guy $400,000 so long as the university is getting what it pays for. For $400,000, he better be able to turn straw into gold." - Justin, sophomore

"That's crazy, in these economic times. What is he going to do differently? That's ridiculous." - Stephanie, junior

"As long as tuition doesn't go up, I guess it doesn't affect me one way or the other." -Gene, junior

"Being the president of a university is a huge undertaking that involves a lot of hard work and responsibility, but giving a $400,000 salary in our current economic situation seems a little outrageous. [But] sometimes you have to pay to have great players on your team. I guess only time will tell if this move was worth it or not." - Diana, sophomore

"Wait, so Case [Western Reserve University] is like, ten times more expensive than CSU, right? That'd be like the president of Case making $4 million a year, wouldn't it? How is that remotely OK?" -Eric, freshman

"Really? How come I got to pay $200 for a book, and he gets $400,000 a year? That is messed up." -Kendra, sophomore

"That seems too high for a president of a university, especially for the first year. I think he should be paid the same as Schwartz the first year, and if he deserves a raise to $400,000 then at least he can earn it." - Peter, junior

"That's what he's supposed to make, so it's all good. It's in the middle, not too much, not too little. No one is president for the money, though." -Donshay, junior

"If he makes the university better, then it's worth it, I guess." -Steve, junior

"I do not think it's right for a new president to make such an increase [in] pay [compared to] the previous president. I mean, a $50,000 [increase] is reasonable, but $100,000 is a little ridiculous." -Brandi, junior

Can he help pay my tuition? Can I get a book?" - Randi, junior

"I don't know what the president does exactly, [so] I can't really say if it's fair or not. Making as much as the president of the United States of America seems a bit much."- Marko, senior

"I'm wondering if [CSU] can really afford it in this economy. From what I read, [Dr. Berkman] is a very good choice, but man, that's a lot of money. Cleveland State could become very attractive to parents who don't want to shell out the money for their kids to go to Ohio State or other [expensive] schools like that." -Mark, non-traditional student

"I can understand 'professional people' need to earn a lot of money, but when the economy is like this? Was [the $400,000] a signing bonus? I sit in expectation to see how much better [CSU] will be with that extra [money]." -Josh, sophomore

"I think this may be a little excessive. I don't think the president of a university in what used to be known as the poorest city in America gets paid the same salary as the president of the United States." -Steve Thomas, The Cauldron web editor

"I thinks it's a little crazy that the president of the university makes the same as the president [of the United States], and [CSU] is not even one of the 50 biggest public colleges in the U.S." - Todd, junior

"Totally unnecessary and inflated." - Andrea, junior

"That's a lot of money. I hope he is worth it, and I hope he does a lot of good for the school." -Tanie, sophomore

"That seems like a lot, about the same that the president of the United States makes. As long as he's doing his job, I'm fine with it. CSU is a great school with a great [future], and should he live up to the responsibility, [the salary] will be well deserved." -Xavier, junior

"I can say that my boyfriend's dad is an ER doctor, and he doesn't even make that much money. That's a ridiculous amount of money." - Lauren, senior

"Wow. I hope he's worth that." - Jenny, freshman

"The president of a university like Harvard, Yale or Princeton can justify that salary, not [the president of] CSU. Take half that and use the other half to help really needy students. CSU needs to reflect the community and come down to reality. Fair compensation for a president should reflect the economy of the area." -Ray, non-traditional student

"I don't know [enough] about the president's previous pay [at] other colleges to say. What does he even do?" -Ben, sophomore

"That's absurd. Considering that CSU obviously isn't the third most expensive school in the state, it's completely disproportionate. And considering how tough the current economic situation, it goes beyond bad PR." -Sairah, senior