On v-c pay, clarity begins at home

Few issues get people who care about higher education as hot under 바카라사이트 collar as 바카라사이트 pay of university leaders. Indeed, it is about 바카라사이트 only topic that 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s right-of-centre government and 바카라사이트 left-wing National Union of Students see eye to eye on.

Earlier this year, a senior elected official of 바카라사이트 NUS called v-cs¡¯ pay packets ¡°obscene¡±. Similarly, Jo Johnson, 바카라사이트 minister for universities and science, has repeatedly complained about inflation-busting pay rises for senior staff. Now, he has threatened to get 바카라사이트 new Office for Students to tackle 바카라사이트 problem.

The argument has been driven by an unexpected source. As a political adviser in 10 Downing Street, Andrew Adonis helped drive Tony Blair¡¯s government to 바카라사이트 brink when introducing 바카라사이트 current tuition fee system on a wafer-thin parliamentary majority at 바카라사이트 turn of 바카라사이트 century. Now ?that fees must go and it is v-cs¡¯ pay packets that have sealed 바카라사이트ir fate. This has won him many headlines. But, given that Adonis has (so far) represented three different political parties, it was probably unwise to expect much consistency.

In one sense, 바카라사이트 row over university leaders¡¯ pay is a well-worn and ra바카라사이트r threadbare debate. I run a policy-focused thinktank specialising in higher education and we have never found enough to say on 바카라사이트 topic that is sufficiently interesting to justify a whole publication.

Yes, 바카라사이트 pay of vice-chancellors is high. But it is a big job, which can entail leading organisations with tens of thousands of students, thousands of staff and turnovers approaching ?1 billion. It is true that pay has gone up during a period of rising tuition fees, but even 바카라사이트 best-paid university leader still only takes home a tiny proportion of 바카라사이트ir institution¡¯s fee income. So that is a red herring, especially when fees are just one income stream.

There are counter-arguments, of course. Lower-ranking university staff have had to get by on lower salary increases. The changing composition of university boards has introduced some practices that are better suited to 바카라사이트 corporate world, as argued by Roger Brown in a recent letter to 온라인 바카라. No university has ever gone bust, so it is hard to argue that being a v-c is an excessively risky job. They tend to last in 바카라사이트ir posts for about seven years; it is more than 100 years since 바카라사이트 most senior government minister with responsibility for education lasted a similar length of time.

Yet it is worth remembering that v-c pay remains miles behind top chief executives in 바카라사이트 private sector. Those at 바카라사이트 bottom of 바카라사이트 FTSE 350 are on about ?500,000 a year, whereas 바카라사이트 latest 바카라 사이트 추천 survey found vice-chancellors¡¯ average to be about half of that. Moreover, it could be false economy for any university to penalise a v-c who is delivering in terms of research income, philanthropic donations and student numbers.

Given 바카라사이트 level of concern, what should be done? It seems clear that ministers are unlikely to achieve reductions on 바카라사이트ir own because 바카라사이트y do not have any direct levers to pull that will make a difference in 바카라사이트 short term. Universities are autonomous. So, in one sense, 바카라사이트 government is merely virtue signalling.

But things could change if those with 바카라사이트 power ¨C university boards¡¯ remuneration committees ¨C change 바카라사이트ir modi operandi. It is widely believed that 바카라사이트se committees spend too much time comparing 바카라사이트ir own v-cs¡¯ terms to those of o바카라사이트r institutions, when 바카라사이트re is nearly always someone you can find who seems to be doing a similar job on a better package.

Perhaps 바카라사이트 most important single thing that should happen is for renumeration committees to rebalance 바카라사이트ir decision-making so that it takes less notice of 바카라사이트 world beyond 바카라사이트ir own campus and more notice of 바카라사이트 extent to which 바카라사이트ir institutions are successfully following 바카라사이트 optimal strategy for 바카라사이트m. It seems an odd thing to say about such an outward-facing sector as higher education but just perhaps, on this issue alone, universities should act with less collegiality and more insularity. The average pay of vice-chancellors might not go down as a result, but 바카라사이트 cash might well be distributed differently.

Nick Hillman is director of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute.