His presence on Monday at the annual meeting for the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities here indicated that broad fears about the economy—even about aspects only tangentially related to higher education—are a top concern of college administrators.
While generous compensation packages for college presidents have come under increasing public scrutiny, other university employees often earn far more.
Presidents of a number of colleges vowed in November to take a pay cut or otherwise give back part of their earnings as a way to help buffer their schools against the struggling economy.
The Delhi Declaration also acknowledges the role of private initiatives in meeting the rapidly growing need for higher education, particularly technical and professional courses. However, the participating nations were of the view that private institutions should be inclusive in their approach to access.