The new vice chancellor of Cambridge University has defied warnings about excessive pay – and said he is not prepared to take a cut to his £365,000 salary.
Professor Stephen Toope described his pay packet, which is more than double that of Theresa May, as ‘reasonable, given the scope of the job’ and has suggested colleagues should take a similar stand.
He said senior salaries were an issue for the entire sector rather than individuals but hoped there would be no broader move to cut vice-chancellors’ pay to silence critics.
Professor Stephen Toope described his pay packet, which is more than double that of Theresa May , as ‘reasonable, given the scope of the job’ and has suggested colleagues should take a similar stand
He said: ‘I think it is not a good idea, to be frank, because what it does is reaffirm the sense that the UK is not operating in the open market for global talent.’
His comments come after universities minister Jo Johnson warned institutions will be fined if they are unable to provide justification for paying their vice chancellor more than the £150,402 earned by the Prime Minister.
It led to speculation that university leaders across the country might have to take pay cuts if they cannot demonstrate exceptional performance.
The average vice chancellor salary is £257,904 – and critics have said this is inappropriate at a time when student fees have risen to £9,250 per year.
His comments come after universities minister Jo Johnson warned institutions will be fined if they are unable to provide justification for paying their vice chancellor more than the £150,402 earned by the Prime Minister
Undergraduates who started studying this autumn will leave their courses with debts of £50,800 on average.
But Professor Toope said yesterday that the role of a modern vice-chancellor was ‘relentless’ and the money was well-deserved.
He told The Times: ‘People don’t understand how a vice chancellor’s job has evolved.
‘I am essentially responsible for £1 billion a year turnover, 11,000 employees, 19,000 students, and am in the lead to complete a £2 billion fundraising campaign, which means I am searching for all possible sources of income, while developing the international reputation of the university, working with business, government and civil society to develop partnerships, while being responsible for operations and the entity of the university.’
Professor Toope, 59, a Canadian who has spent most of his professional life in North America, also warned that the review of student tuition fees could undermine the high standing of UK universities globally, if handled poorly, which would be a ‘true own goal’.
He said: ‘One thing I can say having recently moved here, the HE system in the UK is the envy of world.
‘The UK has attracted generation after generation of people from all parts of world as the universities are very strong, and Cambridge is at the pinnacle.
‘I very much hope the government realises what a tremendous national asset this is for the UK.
‘Anything that undermines that asset would be a true own goal.’
A proposal floated by Philip Hammond, the chancellor, to link fees to graduate salaries would be ‘foolish’, he added.
Yesterday, Professor Toope’s comments on vice chancellor pay were criticised by politicians.
Former Labour education minister Lord Adonis said: ‘Being vice chancellor of Cambridge is one of the best jobs in the world and it doesn’t need an obscene salary to make it attractive.
‘Professor Toope will soon learn that he is invalidated from commenting on higher education matters while his own unjustifiably large salary remains so controversial.’
Robert Halfon, the Conservative chairman of the education select committee, said: ‘Vice Chancellors have got to stop defending the indefensible. There is no reason why they need to be paid significant amounts more than the Prime Minister.
‘This is one of the reasons why the committee is carrying out an inquiry into value for money at universities, because there cannot be one rule for those at the top and one rule for everyone else who are struggling at the bottom.’
Professor Toope, a scholar specialising in human rights, international dispute resolution, environmental law and the use of force, was previously vice-chancellor of the University of British Columbia.
He graduated from Harvard in 1979 and completed his PhD at Trinity College Cambridge.
In August, it was revealed his vice chancellor’s lodge at Cambridge, which is worth more than £4.5million, underwent a refit costing nearly £700,000 before he moved in.
The detached property is surrounded by mature trees in a conservation area on a private road.
The university said at the time that the refit was needed to enhance the lodge as an ‘events venue’.
In 2014, the Canadian newspaper the Globe and Mail reported Professor Toope chalked up $168,265 (£127,788) in travel expenses over one year before he departed the University of British Columbia.
The university said at the time it reflected an exhaustive year of fundraising, outreach and lobbying as he became the ‘senior spokesperson’ for a number of Canadian universities.
Professor Toope took multiple trips to Asia and Europe, as well as across Canada to Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal.
Two of his trips, $6,000 (£4,557) single-day excursions to Ottawa, were last-minute openings to lobby senior government officials for research funding.
Most of his airfare was business class, with a 14-day tour of Asia and Europe last December costing $28,988 (£22,019), the newspaper reported.
The highest-paid vice chancellor in the UK is Dame Glynis Breakwell, who earns £451,000 including benefits to head up Bath university.
Last month, the Mail told how Craig Calhoun, the former vice chancellor of the London School of Economics, was paid £1.7 million over four years despite it scoring just a bronze in official teaching ranks.
Meanwhile, Southampton’s Professor Don Nutbeam received £252,000 as ‘compensation for loss of office’ – or golden goodbye – before stepping down at the end of September 2015.
Following the controversies, the vice-chancellor of the University of Bolton, George Holmes, who owns a Bentley and earns £222,000, caused uproar by claiming university bosses are not paid enough compared to peers in other countries,