Bristol University’s Independent Student Newspaper Issue 246
•
Monday 6th February 2012
• www.epigram.org.uk
VCs urged to show restraint on pay
Money Pie Minister voucher in e2
• Nine Russell Group Vice-Chancellors recieved pay
increases last year • Bristol VC Eric Thomas takes below-inflation 0.5% rise Josephine McConville Head News Reporter Vice-chancellors from top universities across the country are earning more on average despite the squeeze on university budgets. Annual Financial Reports from 2010-11 have revealed that Bristol is amongst nine Russell Group universitieswhohavegivenvice-chancellorsapayrise. Of the thirteen annual reports analysed, the most highly paid was Oxford University’s Professor Andrew Hamilton, who received a pay packet of £424, 000, including salary and pension contributions. With a 7% rise compared with the previous year, the University of Birmingham’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Eastwood had the highest increase in his pay packet.
31
Members of staff at Bristol earn over £100,000 a year
Julia May
The University of Bristol’s most recent financial report from 2010/11 shows the Vice Chancellor received a pay rise of 0.5%, with his remuneration package increasing slightly from £313 000 in 2009/10 to £314 000 in 2010/11. Nevertheless, some have voiced concerns that Bristol’s Professor Eric Thomas should take a cut, following the examples of Liverpool University’s Sir Howard Newby and University College London’s Professor Malcolm Grant, who both took a reduced pay packet. In the report, the University also cited the salaries of other highest paid members of staff, revealing 31 members of staff receive a remuneration package of over £100,000. This includes the Deputy Vice Chancellor, whose salary in 2011 stood at around £165,000.
Dilys Potter, a 2nd year Maths student, told Epigram, ‘It seems unfair that the University is allowing students, particularly those from poorer backgrounds, to take the major blows from the cuts. There are other Universities who are reducing their Vice-Chancellor’s pay packages and not scrapping bursaries.’ Last year, Epigram revealed the University’s plans to axe the bursary scheme from 2012. The maximum 2015 bursary and scholarship spend will be around £643,000, a significantly lower figure than any other English Russell Group university. Denis Burn, Chair of Bristol University’s Council said, ‘Professor Thomas is one of the longest serving Vice-Chancellors in the UK, is President of Universities UK and represents the Higher Education sector in many national and global forums - all of which bring direct benefit to his role as Vice-Chancellor of the University. ‘It should also be noted that the ViceChancellor made a significant personal donation to the University’s alumni fund.’ Usman Ali, the National Union of Students’ vice-president for higher education, said students struggling to meet the basic costs of studying and facing record youth unemployment would find the prospect of ‘university fat cats lining their pockets even further utterly sickening’. In 2010-11, around £215m was shaved off teaching budgets and £142m cut from Capital Projects, such as new buildings. University lecturers have also faced a pay cut. Sally Hunt, general secretary of UCU, the lecturers’ trade union, urged the government to extend its crackdown on excessive executive pay to universities, particularly due to the seven percent real-terms pay cut for lecturers since 2009. Meanwhile heads of elite universities were awarded an average pay rise of £9,700 last year. ‘It is vital that we ensure there is proper scrutiny of vice-chancellors’ pay and pension provision if we are to avoid suspicion of one law for those at the top and another for the rest.’ she said.
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