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| Market values and the vice-chancellor pay debate | Market values and the vice-chancellor pay debate |
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| Louise Richardson’s statement that “we operate … in a global marketplace” highlights the problem (Vice-chancellors jump on to the gravy train, Letters, 6 September). Her market would have VCs competing for the highest salaries while keeping the cost of employees as low as possible (experienced staff made redundant, zero-hours contracts and capped pay). Higher education in this country is still, in the main, part of the public sector and most universities are not-for-profit with charitable objectives. Student fees, underwritten by government, fund universities as a whole; VCs’ salaries are not separate from this. The 1992 Further and Higher Education Act reduced the size of boards of governors and simultaneously required a majority of members to be independent (in effect, drawn from business). Prior to this act, governors included a majority of elected students, academic and non-academic staff and local authority representation. This change effectively removed democratic accountability and shifted the balance away from education and research to that of business. | Louise Richardson’s statement that “we operate … in a global marketplace” highlights the problem (Vice-chancellors jump on to the gravy train, Letters, 6 September). Her market would have VCs competing for the highest salaries while keeping the cost of employees as low as possible (experienced staff made redundant, zero-hours contracts and capped pay). Higher education in this country is still, in the main, part of the public sector and most universities are not-for-profit with charitable objectives. Student fees, underwritten by government, fund universities as a whole; VCs’ salaries are not separate from this. The 1992 Further and Higher Education Act reduced the size of boards of governors and simultaneously required a majority of members to be independent (in effect, drawn from business). Prior to this act, governors included a majority of elected students, academic and non-academic staff and local authority representation. This change effectively removed democratic accountability and shifted the balance away from education and research to that of business. |
| The level of VCs’ salaries have since been determined by remuneration committees, made up of independent board members with little accountability. It would seem that many VCs’ priorities are financial and not educational, unlike the staff who, despite worsening conditions of service, continue to be committed to the production of knowledge through teaching and research.Rob GawthropSheffield | The level of VCs’ salaries have since been determined by remuneration committees, made up of independent board members with little accountability. It would seem that many VCs’ priorities are financial and not educational, unlike the staff who, despite worsening conditions of service, continue to be committed to the production of knowledge through teaching and research.Rob GawthropSheffield |
| • Performance-related pay is logical and much loved by private business. But it proves impossible to implement effectively and fairly in practice for any complex role because measurable outcomes, and who is responsible for achieving them, becomes impossible to define and therefore fairly reward. Despite its popularity in business, it is based on the fallacy that reversing failure or, harder still, maintaining and constantly improving excellence can be attributable to one person. | • Performance-related pay is logical and much loved by private business. But it proves impossible to implement effectively and fairly in practice for any complex role because measurable outcomes, and who is responsible for achieving them, becomes impossible to define and therefore fairly reward. Despite its popularity in business, it is based on the fallacy that reversing failure or, harder still, maintaining and constantly improving excellence can be attributable to one person. |
| Performance is a function of motivation; in turn the outcome of good management. Ensuring good management is effective in achieving desired outcomes requires leadership. It is a self-serving myth of the HR industry that pay is the motivating force of good leadership: that is down to wisdom, insight, commitment and pride, which generate a common unity of purpose among all the members of an organisation. Palpably excessive reward of a CEO at the expense of the people who have achieved the results for which he is solely credited is as counter-productive as it is unfair. And expensive. To misapply this myth to the public sector simply compounds the mistake.Keith FarmanSt Albans, Hertfordshire | Performance is a function of motivation; in turn the outcome of good management. Ensuring good management is effective in achieving desired outcomes requires leadership. It is a self-serving myth of the HR industry that pay is the motivating force of good leadership: that is down to wisdom, insight, commitment and pride, which generate a common unity of purpose among all the members of an organisation. Palpably excessive reward of a CEO at the expense of the people who have achieved the results for which he is solely credited is as counter-productive as it is unfair. And expensive. To misapply this myth to the public sector simply compounds the mistake.Keith FarmanSt Albans, Hertfordshire |
| • The vice-chancellor of Oxford University said that although her pay is “high compared to her junior colleagues at Oxford, when compared to a footballer, it looks very different”. Even if one accepts this non sequitur, disregarding the fact that, unlike publicly funded UK universities, footballers operate in a private sphere, an apt analogy would be that of a football manager and a lecturer at a university. The median salary differential for football managers compared to players in the English Premier League is estimated to be around 1.8 fold, in favour of the players. A similar calculation for highly paid vice-chancellors compared to a lecturer is a whopping eight fold in favour of VCs. | • The vice-chancellor of Oxford University said that although her pay is “high compared to her junior colleagues at Oxford, when compared to a footballer, it looks very different”. Even if one accepts this non sequitur, disregarding the fact that, unlike publicly funded UK universities, footballers operate in a private sphere, an apt analogy would be that of a football manager and a lecturer at a university. The median salary differential for football managers compared to players in the English Premier League is estimated to be around 1.8 fold, in favour of the players. A similar calculation for highly paid vice-chancellors compared to a lecturer is a whopping eight fold in favour of VCs. |
| It is somewhat irrelevant whether the rise in salaries of the vice-chancellors is incidentally or directly correlated to the rise in tuition fees. Whenever the high salaries of academics in publicly funded institutions is brought up, even if by “tawdry” politicians (who are paid less than a quarter of some vice-chancellors), the trope of “operating in a global marketplace” is resurrected. One doesn’t begrudge Professor Richardson her salary, but if salary was the sole criterion of competence and ability, than most UK vice-chancellors would be replaced by their US counterparts of private universities in the global marketplace.Dr Aamir AhmedKing’s College London | It is somewhat irrelevant whether the rise in salaries of the vice-chancellors is incidentally or directly correlated to the rise in tuition fees. Whenever the high salaries of academics in publicly funded institutions is brought up, even if by “tawdry” politicians (who are paid less than a quarter of some vice-chancellors), the trope of “operating in a global marketplace” is resurrected. One doesn’t begrudge Professor Richardson her salary, but if salary was the sole criterion of competence and ability, than most UK vice-chancellors would be replaced by their US counterparts of private universities in the global marketplace.Dr Aamir AhmedKing’s College London |
| • I don’t suppose Louise Richardson has had time to read Chaucer’s description of the Clerk of Oxenford; but his love of teaching and learning at the expense of worldly success wouldn’t cut much ice with vice-chancellors anyway. Nor with the head and bursar at St Olave’s, I guess (Head set up firm to trademark ‘St Olave’s’, 6 September).John BaileySt Albans, Hertfordshire | • I don’t suppose Louise Richardson has had time to read Chaucer’s description of the Clerk of Oxenford; but his love of teaching and learning at the expense of worldly success wouldn’t cut much ice with vice-chancellors anyway. Nor with the head and bursar at St Olave’s, I guess (Head set up firm to trademark ‘St Olave’s’, 6 September).John BaileySt Albans, Hertfordshire |
| • Could Sonia Sodha (Where do all the fees go, Vice-Chancellor?, 6 September)tell us the salary she deems appropriate for the head of the university only recently determined as the best in the world, and her basis for its calculation? Could she also calculate what percentage of the university’s turnover the vice-chancellor’s current salary amounts to, taking great care to get the right number of zeros in front of the first digit please?Jonathan HarrisRoyal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire | • Could Sonia Sodha (Where do all the fees go, Vice-Chancellor?, 6 September)tell us the salary she deems appropriate for the head of the university only recently determined as the best in the world, and her basis for its calculation? Could she also calculate what percentage of the university’s turnover the vice-chancellor’s current salary amounts to, taking great care to get the right number of zeros in front of the first digit please?Jonathan HarrisRoyal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire |
| • What the taxpayer is getting for Oxford University’s handsome remuneration of its vice-chancellor is all too transparent. For examples: T Blair, MA Oxon (Iraq and Afghanistan disasters, millions killed, injured or displaced, Middle East on fire, world destabilised); D Cameron, MA Oxon (worthless EU referendum blunder with drastic consequences); T May, MA Oxon (dismissed 20,000 police officers amid a terrorist onslaught); M Gove, MA Oxon (will education ever recover?) and B Johnson, MA Oxon (international statesman largely incapable of speaking without causing offence) to name but a few. Pro tanto quid retribuamus? (What can we give in return for so much?) Mere coin fails a grateful nation.David BeakeBudock Water, Cornwall | • What the taxpayer is getting for Oxford University’s handsome remuneration of its vice-chancellor is all too transparent. For examples: T Blair, MA Oxon (Iraq and Afghanistan disasters, millions killed, injured or displaced, Middle East on fire, world destabilised); D Cameron, MA Oxon (worthless EU referendum blunder with drastic consequences); T May, MA Oxon (dismissed 20,000 police officers amid a terrorist onslaught); M Gove, MA Oxon (will education ever recover?) and B Johnson, MA Oxon (international statesman largely incapable of speaking without causing offence) to name but a few. Pro tanto quid retribuamus? (What can we give in return for so much?) Mere coin fails a grateful nation.David BeakeBudock Water, Cornwall |
| • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com | • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com |
| • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters | • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters |