Opinion: Grassley Questions Colleges’ Salaries and Spending

The Wall Street Journal published a memo from Sen. Charles Grassley’s office listing the congressional nonprofit watchdog’s top concerns about spending by U.S. colleges and universities.

Topping the Iowa Republican’s rundown are high pay and perks for ranking officials at colleges that are raising tuition and administrative expenditures rising faster than spending on instruction.

Citing media articles on various institutions’ fundraising and spending, Mr. Grassley also questions whether colleges are using endowments and tax breaks to subsidize high administrative compensation and student amenities seemingly unrelated to academic achievement, such as a climbing wall at Stanford University.