epeated requires pay restraint amongst college vice-chancellors is “potentially dangerous” for the upper schooling sector because it may cut back the pool of candidates prepared to guide establishments, a paper suggests.

“Highly competitive” compensation is required to draw sufficient leaders with the mandatory abilities to run universities within the UK, based on a report by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) assume tank.

The paper comes as college students face additional disruption to their studying subsequent month because the University and College Union (UCU) is planning on staging extra strikes in its ongoing dispute over pay and circumstances.

Politicians and union leaders have voiced considerations in regards to the excessive salaries of college chiefs in recent times.

The newest Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa) figures present that 5 universities within the UK paid their vice-chancellors greater than half 1,000,000 kilos in wage and advantages final yr.

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While pay ought to by no means be the one focus of those that lead academic and analysis establishments, it must also by no means be a barrier to attracting the easiest

For the monetary yr ending July 2022, Alice Gast obtained a pay and advantages package deal of £714,000 as president of Imperial College London, Louise Richardson obtained £542,000 as vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford, and Minouche Shafik obtained £539,000 as director of the London School of Economics and Political Science.

All three vice-chancellors – who had been the highest-paid leaders at mainstream greater schooling establishments within the UK by whole remuneration – have since moved on from their management roles on the universities.

The Hepi report means that UK vice-chancellors earn lower than their equivalents within the US – the place vice-chancellors earned as much as 2,509,687 {dollars} (£1,966,274) a yr in 2022 – and in Australia.

The paper says, by way of fundamental wage, 170 UK vice-chancellors earn greater than the prime minister – who's paid a fundamental wage of round £164,000 a yr.

But it provides “high-quality leadership” is important as universities are organisations with “enormous local, national and international influence”.

“For most people, they only get one shot at higher education. They need the very best institutional leader available,” the assume tank’s paper says.

The report calls on universities to “combat divisive rhetoric” by redoubling efforts to extend consciousness of the advanced roles of college leaders.

It suggests: “Repeating a mantra about the need for pay restraint among higher education leaders, whether by politicians, unions, the media and the regulator, is potentially dangerous for the higher education sector.

“It is also replete with unforeseen consequences, particularly in connection with reducing the pool of talented and committed staff who are willing to take on the leadership of universities.”

CUC significantly endorses the report’s name for much less divisive rhetoric on this matter

Lucy Haire, writer of the Hepi report, mentioned: “Every vice-chancellor I have met in over a decade of working with universities has been impressive. The range and complexity of their impactful work, the challenges they face and especially the relentlessly public-facing nature of the role deserve a lot of credit.

“While pay should never be the only focus of those who lead educational and research institutions, it should also never be a barrier to attracting the very best.”

But the report additionally calls on universities to think about reviewing remuneration charges, in addition to phrases and circumstances, of workers throughout all roles as many lecturers “have short term contracts with limited benefits.”

Ms Haire mentioned: “Paying leaders substantial pay packages does not preclude reviewing low pay and poor terms and conditions elsewhere in the sector. It is not a zero-sum game nor a race to the bottom.”

University and College Union (UCU) normal secretary Jo Grady mentioned: “No amount of obfuscation can hide the exorbitant pay for those at the top of UK higher education, and it is a scandal.

“Collectively, vice-chancellors get paid over £43 million per year, with the average salary at an eye-watering £269,000. This is over seven times more than the typical university employee earns.

“A fairer system would see vice-chancellors’ salaries indexed to the rest of their workforce at a level which reflects the fact that all university staff – not just those at the top – are crucial to the sector’s success.”

John Rushforth, govt secretary of the Committee of University Chairs (CUC), mentioned: “In response to a reduction in real terms of government funding available, the sector has exercised restraint, with the average basic salary of a substantive vice-chancellor on January 1 2023 being £267,969, an increase of 3.5% compared to an inflation figure of 10.1%.

“CUC has recognised the importance of the work of remuneration committees and has established a specialist forum for remuneration chairs, ensuring that they are given expert advice from within and outside the HE sector.

“CUC particularly endorses the report’s call for less divisive rhetoric on this topic.”