HILL: Tax universities and colleges

Remember the days when college presidents were paid a pittance since universities sponsored by religious organizations and state governments couldn’t pay them a lot in salary? Or when coaches had to tend bar during the off-season to make ends meet?

Yeah, me neither.

Higher education institutions, public and private, were granted nonprofit, tax-exempt status a long time ago to help them compete with the private sector to attract the best and the brightest faculty, administrators and coaches to teach the next generation of citizens. Everything about granting them nonprofit status had to do with “enhancing the educational experience” of every student on campus, not just the jocks or administrators.