- Research universities aren't generally for-profit organizations and so the simple calculus of profit generated versus salary paid isn't directly applicable.
- Professorship in many disciplines (i.e. liberal arts) is a glamour job, that is one with an effectively bottomless supply of qualified aspirants that do not have easy access to higher-paying alternative jobs.
- "Rainmaker" grant writers pretty much can write their own ticket within academia, but they won't necessarily be able to capture a lot of the grant money as salary. They should still be able to set their own hours while running projects with top-shelf employees and equipment. There's no guarantee that the most interesting, respectable research will be appealing to the types of people who fund research though. (n.b.: I am only guessing on this last point.)
- Professorship in many disciplines (i.e. liberal arts) is a glamour job, that is one with an effectively bottomless supply of qualified aspirants that do not have easy access to higher-paying alternative jobs.
- "Rainmaker" grant writers pretty much can write their own ticket within academia, but they won't necessarily be able to capture a lot of the grant money as salary. They should still be able to set their own hours while running projects with top-shelf employees and equipment. There's no guarantee that the most interesting, respectable research will be appealing to the types of people who fund research though. (n.b.: I am only guessing on this last point.)