The university is facing a 4 percent cut in state funding. UK President Lee Todd has not been shy in saying the school will have to make sacrifices and no one is exempt from the budget cuts.

No one but himself, of course.

On Friday, the Kernel reported that despite the worsening budget, Todd’s total compensation has increased over the past four years by 42.7 percent. Last year alone, Todd made $594,612.

However, Todd still considers his not-so-modest annual total compensation to be reflective of the budget, insisting he does not get a bonus and his salary has not increased.

His salary may have remained the same — a meager $294,010 — but additional compensation in the form of retirement pay, a retention bonus, a performance bonus and foundation pay sent his overall earnings up $62,500 this school year, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

While college presidents around the country are turning down pay raises in the face of budget shortfalls. Todd hasn’t decided whether or not he will follow suit, despite the “significant impact” the mid-year budget cuts will have on UK, according to the Friday Kernel article.

“We can’t afford this proposed cut without significant impact,” Todd said about the proposed 4 percent cut in state funding, in an e-mail. “Every cut means additional loss of programs, positions and our ability to move the university forward.”

Yet, his salary seems to be the one thing moving forward without fail.

Apparently, the university’s budget and Todd’s operate differently; one doesn’t seem to depend on the other. This is not the first year the budget has been less than UK had anticipated, and it wasn’t just one year that Todd’s total compensation rose when the budget did not.

Todd is a representative of the university. He is supposed to be the part of it that the faculty, staff and students can look to for help and guidance. In April, Todd recommended to the UK Board of Trustees that faculty and staff not receive a salary raise.

“We have explored every avenue to increase salaries for faculty and staff, but the funds are simply not there,” Todd said in his announcement of the decision.

His wallet was not one of the avenues explored.

While UK’s budget gets slashed year after year, its president is now supported by an annual earning that goes beyond half a million dollars.

That concept doesn’t sit well when departments cannot make needed hires, and possible scholarships are in jeopardy.

On Friday, the president of Kentucky Community and Technical College System turned down a salary increase and bonus as part of his 2009 compensation package during a regularly scheduled meeting.

However, when questioned about his bonus for this school year, Todd will not say whether he will decline it or not.

Todd said in an e-mail to the Kernel he would not decide to turn down his bonus anytime soon given the length of time between now and the Board of Trustees meeting in June, when his salary figures are usually decided.

The university is not going to solve their financial problems between now and June.

For Todd to say he is still unsure of whether or not the funds would be there for his bonus is arrogant and offensive when he openly admits the funds aren’t possible for the rest of the employees.

If they are not there for them, they should not be there for Todd.

Todd is taking advantage of the university and more than 11,000 full-time employees who are working hard to better it without any sign of a break.

If Todd ever expects the university community to really stand behind him, he must first show he really is a part of UK by making sacrifices along with everyone else.

Because in times like these, we depend on each other more than ever before.