Are University Professors overpaid?

[momto3]

65. I am an Assistant Professor at a major research university.

I spent close to 15 years of my life studying science. I am expected to cover 75% of my salary with research grants in a time when NIH funding is at an all time low. The funding level of most research grants is at 5-10%, so I write 5-10 research grants a year and hope that something will get funded so that I will not be considered "under performing". I am tenure track, but not tenured. In order to get tenure, I need to teach, perform research, write grants and papers, mentor students, perform service for the university, my department and the community and participate in as many research societies as my budget can handle. I do not get reimbursed for the hours I spend putting together good lectures for my students. And, I have to pay a couple of thousand dollars a year just in society application fees. The truth about tenure is that, even though I still have perform all of the functions that I mentioned above, I will only get tenured if I can secure consistent funding. Did I mention that the funding level is 5-10%, and even lower for new faculty members like myself.

Don't get me wrong, I love science, research and mentoring which is why I will stick around as long as they will let me. But do not try to tell me that I am over paid. I am not going to mention my current salary, but l will state that I could make more money as a manager of several different local stores. My scenario is common among junior faculty members. We work constantly for low pay because we love what we do. We also realize that if we don't stay around, there will be a major generational gap for highly trained scientists in our country.

End rant.