Fact Service April 2010

Issue 14

Vice-chancellors on a nice little earner

Universities spent 11% more on vice-chancellors than in the previous year, a new report reveals.

A pay survey in Times Higher Education has revealed that universities spent 10.6% more on vice-chancellors’ pay and benefits in 2008-09 than they did in the previous year. During the same period, staff received a nationally-agreed pay rise of 5%.

University and college lecturers' union UCU said the lack of transparency over vice-chancellors’ pay rises and benefits, coupled with enormous pension contributions, continued to be a source of ridicule for universities.

Embarrassingly, the news of the huge rises for vice-chancellors comes just days after universities offered the higher education unions a pay freeze for this year.

www.ucu.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=4533