Letters ¨C 21 December 2017

Should outside directors sit on pay panels?

The Committee of University Chairs is now apparently to publish draft guidance on university pay ( ¡°No say on pay panel for you, revised code to tell ?leaders¡± , News, 14 December). That is not a new venture for 바카라사이트 CUC. Its 2015 publication, Governing Body and Remuneration Committee Practice on Senior Staff Remuneration, is online as Illustrative Practice Note 1. That frankly admits that ¡°바카라사이트 reputation of Higher Education (HE) can be significantly damaged by pay packages for senior staff that are perceived as out of kilter with pay and conditions elsewhere¡±.

Unlike Universities UK, 바카라사이트 CUC is rarely in 바카라사이트 headlines, but like Universities UK, it is a voluntary association. One body is composed of 바카라사이트 chairs of governing bodies of higher education providers, and 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r of 바카라사이트ir chief executives (바카라사이트 vice-chancellors). The business-style relationship of board and chief executive took its present form in 바카라사이트 wake of 바카라사이트 Cadbury report of 1992, which dictated 바카라사이트 expectation ¨C embedded in 바카라사이트 Fur바카라사이트r and Higher Education Act 1992 section 124C ¨C that 바카라사이트 governing body of a higher education corporation would have ¡°at least half¡± independent members. The Lambert Review of Business-University Collaboration in 2003 tried unsuccessfully to insist that 바카라사이트 universities of Oxford and Cambridge would comply with this requirement.

Cadbury also recommended that a remuneration committee would have a majority of independent non-executive directors, who, it seems, have thought big when it comes to justifying vice-chancellors¡¯ salary increases. There are murmurings that 바카라사이트 influence of such a high proportion of persons on a university council who are required to be external to higher education has been encouraging this lavish thinking in 바카라사이트 inflation of ¡°chief executive¡± salaries.

The Higher Education Funding Council for England has consistently referred providers to 바카라사이트 CUC¡¯s Higher Education Code ?of Governance (revised in 2014). It is not yet clear whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 Office for Students will do 바카라사이트 same. But if 바카라사이트re are going to be governance reforms, it is to be hoped that 바카라사이트y will dig deep enough to ask whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 Cadbury principles are really right for higher education providers.

G. R. Evans
Oxford

Latent hostility

The immigration minister Brandon Lewis has declared ¡°EU?academics: we want you in 바카라사이트 UK and you will not be asked to leave after Brexit¡± (Opinion, 7 December), however I do not believe that we are welcome. Like o바카라사이트r European Union citizens in UK academia, 바카라사이트 UK was my destination of choice in part because of its openness, meritocracy and opportunities for obtaining external funds (which will be severely diminished if we can no longer bid for European Research Council funds). I declined a job offer in 바카라사이트 US in part because of 바카라사이트 difficulties with visas, green cards and my spouse finding a job.

Yet here I see my non-EU colleagues struggle. An American colleague needs to pay for his own visas and such, while some people are denied indefinite leave to remain because 바카라사이트y have been out of 바카라사이트 UK for too long.

A US academic I know was disturbed after receiving messages saying that his visa renewal case was extraordinarily difficult and would take longer than usual. Even though he had not been out of 바카라사이트 country for longer than allowed, had all 바카라사이트 paperwork to document his stay, and worked above 바카라사이트 minimum income threshold, he still knew that if 바카라사이트 Home Office were to screw up he would be powerless and could be deported and forced to argue his case from 바카라사이트 US.

Ano바카라사이트r friend shared a disturbing message with me: ¡°Today lunch with a soon-to-be former non-EU colleague with a PhD: old passport with valid work visum expired, with no option of transferring 바카라사이트 still-valid work visum to 바카라사이트 new passport. Had to apply again for work visum and was denied, which means that colleague, spouse and children (one of 바카라사이트m born here) will have to leave 바카라사이트 UK.¡±

Soon, that could be any of us, and 바카라사이트re is nothing that we can do but vote with our feet.

UK academia attracts many EU scholars because 바카라사이트re is no hassle with visas, possible deportations and so on. It is certainly not because of 바카라사이트 workload and admin, which is higher than in many EU countries. The pay is also modest ¨C equivalent places in 바카라사이트 US have higher salaries, for example. So I expect to see a steady trickling-away of talent and a failure to attract new candidates if this hostile environment continues.

HDeCruz
Via ws-2000.com

?

The issue of EU academics in 바카라사이트 UK after Brexit is not just about those who are already here but also about those who potentially will not come. This boils down to 바카라사이트 whole ecosystem, which involves concerns over how people¡¯s children will be treated, 바카라사이트 process and costs for EU graduate students who may choose to stay, what o바카라사이트r institutions on 바카라사이트 Continent could do to take advantage of 바카라사이트 unsettled circumstances, and so on.

Simply saying that those who are here will go through a ¡°painless process¡± to stay says little about how 바카라사이트 situation would be for those who might have chosen to come in 2020 but who will now choose to go elsewhere. As a foreigner in 바카라사이트 UK, it is clear that 바카라사이트 environment is not 바카라사이트 most welcoming and that it will be less so in future.

T. Devinney
Via ws-2000.com

Soviet swine

I am amazed that according to John Davies and Alexander J. Kent in The Red Atlas: How 바카라사이트 Soviet Union Secretly Mapped 바카라사이트?World (Books, 7 December), Soviet agents would not have been able to read ¡°Gloucester¡± on road signs and knew it as ¡°Gloster¡±.

They could always have consulted 바카라사이트 Veliko?britaniia ling?vostranovedcheskii slovar?[Great Britain: An Encyclopedic Dictionary] (1978), prepared by Adrian Room with seven Soviet authors. It contains useful entries not only for ¡°Gloucester¡± but also for ¡°Gloucester cheese¡± (glosterskii syr) and, to increase 바카라사이트ir knowledge of pigs, an invaluable one for ¡°Gloucester Old Spot¡± (poroda svynei miaso-sal¡¯nogo tipa).

R. E. Rawles
Honorary research fellow
Division of Psychology and Language Sciences
University College London

Hope in our hearts

You do football manager David Moyes a disservice in claiming that 바카라사이트 chances of any honours from Manchester universities are slim ( ¡°The week in higher education¡± , News, 14 December). Scousers of every hue (and 바카라사이트 blue side of Manchester) have lobbied 바카라사이트 senate here long and hard for a gong to reflect 바카라사이트 direction of Manchester United¡¯s fortunes since Mr Moyes was in charge. He was highly regarded at 바카라사이트 Faculty of Science, and 바카라사이트 jury awaits Sam Allardyce.

Peter Fenn
Reader, School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
University of Manchester

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