CHUTZPAH? "UW regents apologize for pay raises. While method was flawed, increases are justified, legislators told." Read all about it. Time permitting, comments tomorrow.

SECOND SECTION: Here are the key paragraphs from the article:

"However, no reporters were informed of the unusual meeting and no press releases were sent, normal steps when regents meet outside their usual schedule.

"[Regent vice-president] Walsh and Board of Regents members Nino Amato, Peggy Rosenzweig and Fred Mohs said the teleconference was pushed by Regents President Toby Marcovich and UW President Katharine Lyall in an effort to boost pay ranges for the vacant chancellor positions at UW-Milwaukee and UW-Stevens Point so search committees could attract top candidates.

"Walsh said regents have not delivered half of a 4.2% salary increase for executives that had been approved by the Legislature's Joint Economic Committee in 2001.

"Walsh and Mohs said the motivation - to allocate much of the leftover raise money to the vacant chancellor positions - was worthy. Walsh and Mohs did not take part in the conference call.

"State law requires the board to approve competitive pay ranges for executives, they said. And chancellors in the UW System make significantly less than counterparts in neighboring states, they said."

A little bit of invoking-the-market, a little bit of "we're just doing what we were asked to," a little bit of horizontal equity. But no coherence. And no understanding, either: "Walsh said it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars for all departmental committees and subcommittees to advertise meetings in the newspaper and that the media would be swamped with notifications. It would also be inefficient for the board to do every vote by roll call and the Legislature should not micromanage the more than $1 million in salary adjustments the board approves annually, he said."

On the other hand, the Legislature has a responsibility as principal to ensure that its agents live up to expectations.