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Post-secondary is supposed to be a time when young adults focus on their future careers.

Students across the province were shocked this week after learning the total compensation (this includes salary, bonuses, benefits and expenses) of their university and college executives.

In 2014, the University of Lethbridge President made $588,000 and the Provost & Vice-President Academic made $511,000. The Vice-Presidents of Finance & Administration, Research and University Advancement made a combined $974,000.

This brings the total compensation of all five executives to just over $2 million.

Michael Kawchuk, VP of operations with the U of L Students Union, said with recent tuition increases, it is difficult to comprehend why the executives are earning such high wages. “It is a situation where has this gone too far,” he continued.

“Even comparable to the Prime Minister and Premier, they’re making more money than them. What exactly are they doing that justifies those high costs.”

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U of L Board of Governors statement:

“The executive of the University is compensated appropriately considering the accomplishments of the University, the expectations placed on them and their role in the community and province.”

The story is no different at Lethbridge College. In 2014, the President made $405,000 and the two Vice-Presidents made a combined $440,000. The Executive Directors of Public Relations, Human Resources and Planning also made a $588,000 altogether.

The total compensation of all six executives was $1.4 million.

Michael Doughty, VP of the Students Association, said the money put into the pockets of the executive could be put to better use.

“Spending on executive salaries is money that can be used for new programs or giving access to students that may not otherwise have a chance to attend a post-secondary institution.”

Executive director of Public Relations, Michel Béchard, said the executives’ compensation matches the demands of their positions.

“We’re engaging with hundreds of stakeholders inside and externally throughout the region who develop and implement our vision,” he explained. “Senior leadership has demonstrated they are working hard for that.”

At the end of the day those that suffer the most are the students, Kawchuk added. “We won’t be that competitive with other schools across the industry and I think that will lead to a drain on our education,” he said.