Whining university boss can’t do his job without a free home Well.. he does only earn £227k a year
A FATCAT university principal has defended his £227,000 salary – and claimed he should get a free house too.
Craig Mahoney, head of the University of the West of Scotland, insists he cannot do his job properly because he is not provided with a grace-and-favour home.
Mahoney spoke out after it was revealed three Scottish principals were among the 50 highest-paid in the UK.
The professor, who last year benefited from £37,000 in pension contributions on top of his basic salary, said: “Do I think we’re paid too much? No, not really. My job is pretty all-consuming.”
Strathclyde University were slammed recently for buying a £1.2million townhouse for the use of their principal and spending another £339,000 refurbishing it.
Mahoney, who took over at UWS in 2013, said that controversy meant he could not get a free residence but he hopes to arrange one for his successor.
He said: “I can’t do my job properly because I’m not provided with a house. My job involves a lot of entertaining.”
Mahoney has courted controversy in the past by claiming the SNP’s flagship policy of free tuition fees has not helped students from deprived backgrounds enter higher education.
He said: “The concept the Scottish Government have presented, that says free higher education means you widen access – no, it doesn’t.”
In a survey of academic salaries, Strathclyde University principal Professor Sir Jim McDonald was the top earner from the Scottish universities which responded.
He had a total pay package of £360,000 for the academic year 2015-16 – 7.9 times the average salary of his staff.
Aberdeen University’s Professor Sir Ian Diamond came second in Scotland on £352,000.
Glasgow University’s Professor Anton Muscatelli also featured in the top 50, with a total pay package of £322,000.