How does Thrift’s pay compare to other vice-chancellors?

Warwick University paid its vice-chancellor the tenth highest salary for 2013/14 and the fifth highest pay-rise in the last two years out of 23 Russell Group universities, the Boar has revealed. ­

Data also shows that nearly half, 12, of all 27 Russell Group university heads in the past two years were knighted, including Sir Nigel Thrift.

High pay
Last year, VC Sir Nigel Thrift, whose salary was £348,000, earned £13,500 more than the ‘average’ Russell Group university vice-chancellor (£334,500).

Oxford, Birmingham, Exeter, London School of Economics, University College London, Imperial, Sheffield, Nottingham and Liverpool (in order of highest to lowest pay), all paid their heads higher salaries than Warwick last year.

The highest-paid vice-chancellor was Oxford University’s Prof Andrew Hamilton, who was paid £442,000 – £94,000 more than Sir Nigel.

Higher-paid vice-chancellors did not escape criticism in the nationwide movement criticising the pay disparity between management and staff, a movement called for by the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts.

Last month, January 13, campaign group Defend Education Birmingham protested against Birmingham’s vice-chancellor David Eastwood’s pay of £410,000.

In a similar move to the satirical ‘payday party’ at Warwick, the Birmingham group approached VC Eastwood’s office to present him with a giant cheque signed by the ‘Bank of Fat Cats’. After chanting outside his office, students slid the cheque under his door.

In the same month, a social media campaign by Oxford students criticised VC Hamilton’s pay as “disgraceful” and “insulting” according to the Oxford Student. On January 16, it was reported that in response to the campaign, VC Hamilton would reduce his salary to £50,000.

High pay rises
The Boar also found that Warwick vice-chancellor Sir Nigel Thrift has had the fifth highest pay-rise of £32,000 in the last two years. Prof Thrift received a £16,000 pay rise both last year and the year before.

Sheffield’s Sir Keith Burnett’s pay, one of the spotlights of last term’s Free Education protest in London, rose by £82,000 in the last two years – over 1.5 times more than Sir Nigel. Sir Burnett received a £4,000 pay rise last year and a £78,000 pay rise the year before.

Likewise, in the last year alone, Imperial College London gave their chairman, Prof Keith O’Nions, the highest pay rise of over 3.5 times more than Warwick’s vice-chancellor (£59,000).

Photos: Ann Yip

Lower-paid heads
Meanwhile, the lowest paid vice-chancellor was Prof Patrick Johnston of Queen’s University Belfast, who earned £234,000. Prof Johnston consequently received the lowest pay change in the last two years with a gross pay decrease of £9,000.

Vice-chancellors of higher-ranked universities Edinburgh and Durham both took home salaries at the lower end of the spectrum, at about £287,000.

At Durham, it was reported by the Palatinate in March 2014 that VC Chris Higgins turned down a discretionary pay rise to accept a one percent pay increase in solidarity with staff in the pay dispute last year.

Chief executives of Queen Mary and City universities also rejected pay increases for 2012/13.

However, other lower-paid university heads continued to receive criticism by the student body.

Edinburgh’s Sir Timothy O’Shea and Bristol’s Sir Eric Thomas, both of whom are paid less than Sir Nigel, did not receive any change in pay in 2013/14, and only received a £1,000 pay rise the year before.

In spite of this, it was reported by the Student last month that students at Edinburgh demanded Sir Timothy O’Shea be paid no more than five times the salary of the university’s lowest-paid staff.

Cardiff’s Prof Colin Riordon, paid £271,000 last year, was criticised in January for spending over £1,000 on taxis, hotels, rail tickets and hospitality. Wales Online pointed out that all vice-chancellors in Wales received more than £200,000 in 2012/13, “significantly more than Prime Minister David Cameron’s £142,000 salary”.