Raymond Burse, the interim president of Kentucky State University, recently did something that we don’t see very often. According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, Burse gave up over $90,000 of this $350,000 salary so that University workers earning minimum wage could have a raise, bringing their salaries to $10.25 per hour.
Burse says that this is something he has been discussing with the KSU Board of Regents for weeks. The Lexington Herald-Leader reports Burse as saying, “This is not a publicity stunt. You don’t give up $90,000 for publicity. I did this for the people. This is something I’ve been thinking about from the very beginning.”
The increase in pay for the minimum wage employees is immediate. Although Burse will only serve as interim president for 12 months, the raise will stay in place for the employees even after a new president steps in, and this will also be the salary offered to new hires as well.
Although Burse says that this is not attempt to get other University presidents to follow suit, you have to wonder if any will.