In case no
one noticed, the Vice-Chancellors of UK Universities (that is the UK equivalent
of University President in the US) got themselves large
average pay increases. For the Russell group it was about
8% average increase. For all of them the average was about 5.1%. This is an inflation
beating pay increase.
Like many
of their counterparts in industry who fancy themselves entrepreneurial
risk takers, this is not matched by performance. Before continuing let’s be
clear, somewhere in the system there is a VC who deserves that raise. This is
not about that VC or any individual VC. Individually, I suspect there are
successes or failures to celebrate. Somewhere there is a big fish in his or her
small pond who is keeping it in good order. This is not about local success or
failure. It is about the lot of them.
Collectively,
they are doing a terrible job. Really awful.
Those are strong
words. Why would anyone say such a thing?
You might
say such a thing because they have presided over the looting of students and
their parents. Net cost of education to students and their families has
skyrocketed. There has been a three fold increase in fees
to students on the watch of most of the current VCs. If they have been in post
since 2004/5 the increase is still greater. In return for a little more cash in
pocket, they sold out the idea of University Education as a public good. Well
done.
You might
say such a thing because in recent years there has been an 11% rise in the cost of student rents –
something to consider in more detail another day. This transfer of cost and increased
cost is not just a financial looting, but a looting of futures. Graduates
released into the world who are massively in debt do not have the same options
or mind set as those with more economic freedom. They won’t be taking as many
big risks, because they have already taken one and that was on their
education.
You might
say such a thing because while looting students and their parents and getting
paid more themselves, the VCs have presided over years of sub-inflation pay
rises for their academic staff. People understand a bit of shared belt
tightening. Supposing costs to students were being held down and if belt
tightening were shared, no one would have too much to say. However, neither is
the case.
You might
say it because the rudderless boat they are pretending to be Captains of is
going nowhere. Into this leaderless vacuum comes Government, the Media, the
League Tables, etc. and they are defining the terms of a debate the University
VCs haven’t even shown up to. As one example, over the last few years, the
University VCs have allowed their institutions to be collectively defined in
terms of student
satisfaction in the worst possible way (Note the “satisfaction” column here).
Yes, student
satisfaction matters, but in the scheme of things it is not the point of
what a University does. Which matters more: student achievement or student
satisfaction?
More
important than any of these reasons, you might say these VCs were failures
because of grade
inflation. Over the last 10 years, the VCs have presided over the
continuing debasement of degree standards. It just goes on and on. If the VCs
do not get their act together, degree granting will be “looked at” and
regulated and perhaps, with the best of intentions, standardised exams will be
given to define degree class. Yes, the league table generators have much to
answer for, but at the root of the problem are the people responsible:
University VCs. In the last academic year alone the
number of first class degrees inflated 13%. Sorry to have to break it to you Ladies and Gentlemen of the VC Class, but you are doing a terrible job. Grow a spine. What
version of “this one goes to 11” will you come up with to solve this problem you have visited upon your institutions? The day the university equivalent of the A* degree is
introduced is the day every VC in the UK should be told to clean out their
desks and the door slammed on their backsides as they leave for the last time.
That day may be sooner than anyone thinks.
That is it
in a nutshell. “Academic Leadership” is an oxymoron which means charging more,
delivering less, calling it better, and taking more home in pay.
