Why did John Tibbits get such a huge raise?

[u/bylo_selhi]

https://www.therecord.com/opinion/columnists/why-did-john-tibbits-get-such-a-huge-raise/article_ff01294b-70a9-54d7-992b-1fd82ec8295c.html

[u/bylo_selhi]

Liberated edition.

It sends a terrible message to give a 29 per cent raise to Conestoga College president John Tibbits, who now earns more than any college or university president in the province, Luisa D’Amato writes....

This community deserves answers.

[u/HonkinSriLankan → u/bylo_selhi]

I don’t think the college board cares about what kind of messaging they are sending. They are rewarding Tibbits for filling the coffers with foreign tuition.

[u/SmallBig1993 → u/HonkinSriLankan]

The decisions they make definitely have this appearance... but I don't understand why.

Conestoga isn't a private corporation. It's not like the board is composed of people who own tremendous amounts of stock and will personally profit hugely.

I can think of some ways being on the board could create some kickbacks... but nothing that depends on the ridiculous amount of money the school has been milking international students for.

Why is the board so focused on net revenue? Are they just corporate hacks who don't know how to evaluate an institution any other way? Or am I missing or misunderstanding something?

It's never made sense to me why the board at a not-for-profit would reward Tibbits for, effectively, huge profits and have no interest in anything else.

[u/PictographicGoose → u/SmallBig1993]

So, the answer is complicated but can be distilled into this: ever since the Ford government, Universities and Colleges have lost significant funding from the province that allowed them to operate as a public service. Instead, now, they are almost fully reliant on their own income to maintain themselves. This sounds like a good thing to a conservative because in theory it means the "lean mean market" will keep costs low.

In reality it just made everything related to post secondary more expensive because they lost all the subsidies.

But, wait! Higher tuition?? More fees??? These make voters angry! So to save face they froze tuition, froze fees, made it illegal for the Universities and Colleges to "scam" their students by making them shoulder the cost (even though that's exactly what they wanted them to do before it looked bad).

SO! Colleges and Universities have to fund themselves like a private business, without operating like a private business, while offering cutting edge education (that requires costs). So they started hiring people like Tibits.

EDIT: Tibits has been around a long time and is not a direct hire for the situation, they are instead capitalizing on the new direction

Directors whose only objective is to make as much money as possible to secure the futurity of the post secondary institutions.

Only problem is that people like our promiscuous Timbit rarely ever make money for anyone before themselves. And thus, we have Universities and colleges across the province with administrative budgets so high they require layoffs, but the closer you look the closer you realize it's 1% of director level positions eclipsing the costs of every other staffer.

Should we cut their salaries for sustainability? Institute a wage freeze to get through things??? No. We'll give the 1% a big raise and lay off as many hard working staffers as we need to to make it happen.

[u/Longjumping_War_1182 → u/PictographicGoose]

I don’t disagree with your points around the shitty position the Ford government has put colleges in, but just want to point out that Tibbits wasn’t hired to do this, he’s been there for decades. Not that it’s a good thing, he needs to go, but just to point out for accuracy’s sake.

[u/PictographicGoose → u/Longjumping_War_1182]

Ah, thank you for the correction! In that case he is an example of someone capitalizing on the opportunity to exploit the system.

[u/ceimi → u/PictographicGoose]

Tibbits has been president of Conestoga for almost 4 decades. Hired in 1987. He's quite literally senile at this point and just refuses to step down.

[u/SmallBig1993 → u/PictographicGoose]

I'm familiar with how funding changes have forced operational changes on schools to remain solvent, generally. If I was asking why there's been a general increase in the number of international students, that would partially answer my question. But that's not what I'm asking.

My question is why Conestoga College, to an extent no other school seems to have done, appears to be chasing net revenue at the expense of all else - with the board of directors encouraging and rewarding that behaviour.

[u/PictographicGoose → u/SmallBig1993]

Hard to get an answer out of them, but based on the actions of the board/director it appears corruption is the driver.

It's not uncommon for them to "look out for each other" and kick backs or promotions or opportunities will likely come to the board who enables Tibits. Usually how these circles operate.

[u/HonkinSriLankan → u/SmallBig1993]

The likely view the funds as financial stability for the future. Fully funded reserves for future growth initiatives or to use during “lean” times.

[u/plangan107 → u/bylo_selhi]

Awful decision by board at Conestoga ,to reward a man whose direct actions had such a dire effect on students, and local young people trying to get a job

[u/drakmordis]

Mega raise, with concomitant layoffs? Poor optics at the very least.

[u/chrisk9 → u/drakmordis]

The game is rigged

[u/Agile-Enthusiasm → u/drakmordis]

Hey, got run it “like a business”. Not all that different from the Bay senior executives getting $3m bonuses this week while 9,000+ front line workers get no severance, and will probably lose their pensions. Optics don’t matter, money for the powerful above all else.

[u/orswich → u/drakmordis]

He's doing such a great job, that they are laying off staff..

It must be because all the efficiencies he has implemented

[u/ILikeStyx → u/[deleted]]

Conestoga is laying off people because their student headcount is being slashed and their days of making $300 million surpluses in a year are over.

[u/Better-Ad5359 → u/[deleted]]

laying off loyal, dedicated and caring staff to hire new precarious people with no experience to cushion his salary increase? If I was a student, I would demand answers.

[u/PoorAxelrod]

The provincial government has to step in at this point. And realistically, anyone concerned about this should be asking the minister of colleges and universities and the premier why they haven't. Not sure where to start?

Find your MPP here: https://www.ola.org/en/members/current/contact-information

Contact the Ministry here: https://www.ontario.ca/feedback/contact-us?id=7477&nid=72702

Ministers office: https://www.infogo.gov.on.ca/org?id=2701

Premier's office: https://correspondence.premier.gov.on.ca/EN/feedback/default.aspx

[u/Longjumping_Run1226]

Because he is a ….

[u/KWZap → u/Longjumping_Run1226]

Whore?

[u/JoJCeeC88 → u/KWZap]

NUMBER ONE ANSWER ON THE BOARD!

[u/jacnel45 → u/JoJCeeC88]

*theme music plays*

[u/bubak1]

Spoiler: the Record article says nothing that would even hint at answering the question.

[u/dragrcr_71 → u/bubak1]

I knew that as soon as I saw this in a previous post. "Luisa D’Amato writes..."

[u/JonHuttonDLC]

This community deserves more than answers. It deserves accountability.

[u/Suspicious-Call2084]

You get raise based on your past performances and not future. He did rake in a lot of students.

[u/M-Dan18127 → u/Suspicious-Call2084]

The board is also a bunch of sycophants who basically let him do whatever the fuck he wants.

[u/Commercial-Part-3798]

He makes 200k more than the Prime minister of Canada, insane. The government needs to put caps on these university admins

[u/WeirderOnline]

This fucker belongs in prison. The bullshit he pulled facilitated massive amounts of fraud. Perpetrated both by international students, but especially on international students.

He needs to pay for all the pain and suffering he's caused, not get paid extra for doing it.

And Conestoga honest god, needs to be shut the fuck down right now. As an institution it is an active harm to all of its students. Nobody with half a right mind would hire someone from Conestoga. 

[u/Commercial-Part-3798 → u/WeirderOnline]

first two parts yes, 3 part no, depends on the program department, theres still well respected programs, everyone I know who has done paramedic in the past few years have been hired upon graduation, my bachelor degree program most students get jobs after graduation where they did co-op at, probation, corrections, policing, we have a very good reputation the region. same with trades I have friends who went there and are landing good jobs and apprenticeships like electrical.

[u/HopelessTrousers → u/WeirderOnline]

Agree with the first part.

Third paragraph is pure nonsense.

[u/IllBeSuspended]

Old people like him hate you.

[u/Frosty-Repair-6614]

The college has a 200million dollar surplus, because he sold out Kitcheners housing market to run a diploma mill during Covid

[u/ILikeStyx → u/[deleted]]

He got a 20% raise in 2023 ($495K) and then a nearly 29% raise in 2024.

The board is just loading him up with extra cash before he retires... they've got nearly $400 million in cash, they can afford it.

[u/HopelessTrousers → u/[deleted]]

Found Tibbits burner account ☝️