A university’s reputation can be distinguished by many different aspects – whether it’s academics, faculty, athletics, or campus life.

If judged by the amount being paid to its highest-salaried employees, Central Michigan University uses athletics to gain national recognition.

Combined, the top 10 CMU employees are contracted to make $1,761,926, in 2007-2008. Of that, $509,850 goes to football coach Butch Jones, men’s basketball coach Ernie Zeigler and Athletics Director Dave Heeke.

However, Derek van der Merwe, senior associate athletic director and 1996 alumnus, said earlier this year that getting nationally recognized costs money.

“Those positions are so market-driven, it’s difficult to recruit and retain qualified individuals in that market without setting salary marks that are competitive,” he said. “As in any area of our campus when you want to recruit nationally recognized individuals to Mount Pleasant, Mich., it’s just like recruiting our president.”

CMU athletics department brings more to the university than is seen in competition, van der Merwe said.

“You can’t measure what athletics does just in what happens on a football field, or on a court, or any other event,” he said. “It’s really what type of recognition does it bring.”

van der Merwe said when University President Michael Rao was hired (No. 1 contracted salary $293,550), it helped propel CMU to a higher level of national recognition.

“I’ve seen the growth of (CMU) and the success, and the recognition, and the continuing growth of applicants in an economy and state that has really struggled,” he said. “You’re trying to differentiate yourself and you have to be competitive.”

However, John K. Hartman, CMU’s highest salaried CMU journalism professor contracted at $96,487, said he believes however well-intentioned CMU’s leaders are, they may be overemphasizing athletics.

“The two most important groups to the university are the students and faculty,” he said. “I think the big challenge on public higher education today is priorities.”

Hartman said an open football or basketball coaching position is filled in a few weeks, but when it comes to academics, it can take months to fill a vacant spot.

“Are the priorities athletics or academics?” Hartman said. “I’m not going to decide it, the athletic department isn’t going to decide it. It’s decided by the president and the Board of Trustees.”

In the CMU 2007-2008 Operating Budget Consolidated Summary, approved by the Board of Trustees, $17,094,167 of the $339,925,939 (5.02 percent) of expenditured funds are projected to be spent on athletics.

van der Merwe said the total revenue of the department, $5,611,125, makes for the lowest operating budget in the Mid-American Conference.

“You can look at that a lot of different ways,” said van der Merwe. “I think it’s a point of we are operating an effective and efficient program.”

The department’s revenue is raised through marketing, fundraising, National Collegiate Athletic Association funding, and sports camps.

Around 4,000 to 6,000 participants will take part in more than 40 sports camps this summer. According to the operating budget, the sports camps bring in $1,387,000.

“It helps CMU not just with revenue, but brings onto campus prospective students,” van der Merwe said.

van der Merwe said he believes CMU does an excellent job being efficient and effective, but knows some people will see the dollar signs surrounding the athletic department and its high salaries as staggering.

“You will have people that will stand back and look at the funding of athletics and just take shots at it and say why is athletics receiving this degree of funding?” he said. “Given the mandate of what CMU athletics is expected to achieve and how we are to help the institution be regionally and nationally recognized, we are filling that mandate.”

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