At the 1993 presidential inauguration, Maya Angelou read her poem, "A Rock, A River, A Tree," which decries the evils of "struggles for profit." She does not have to struggle much to make a profit herself, however. Appointed "professor for life" by North Carolina's Wake Forest University in 1982, Angelou holds the title of distinguished professor of American studies. She pulls down a six-figure salary, but has taught no classes in 1993. Angelou's secretary says she doesn't know if her boss will teach again. Wake Forest does not have a department of American studies, and Angelou does not have a campus office. Students cannot elect to take her courses, which have been offered by invitation only; they must "audition." With the same money Wake Forest is paying her to be a figurehead, it could hire four full-time professors.

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