In some cases, schools with high numbers of administrators cut costs by refusing to grant tenure or by increasing the teaching loads on tenured professors. Some schools are choosing to have short or longer term contracts instead of tenure for professors. This can result in lower quality teachers for students and cause those who are employed to accept unreasonable working conditions rather than complain and risk losing a job.
Another complaint at administration-heavy institutions is that the administrators, especially the president and staff, have pay that is hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, while the faculty and staff are paid relatively low salaries. These institutions often have multiple deans and assistant deans, department chairs and assistant chairs, many of whom do not possess advanced degrees but are paid at a higher rate than professors with PhD degrees.
Adjunct faculty can be hired by a community college for about one-third to one-fourth the cost of a full-time professor, and without any benefits. Full-time faculty are concerned that adjunct faculty are less effective at teaching, so that students suffer. Adjuncts are often overworked, teaching many courses -- sometimes at multiple institutions -- in order to make enough money. Adjuncts may not be well qualified for the courses they are asked to teach, and often have to prepare for several new courses each term. Sometimes adjuncts leave in mid-semester if a better job comes along or their contracts are not renewed for the next term.
Another complaint with community colleges that are perceived as being top-heavy in administration is that the full-time faculty has less of a voice than they do at other schools. With so many administrators on staff, decisions are made without asking the advice or consent of faculty, according to some faculty councils.