Bath University VC to resign – with payout
The University of Bath’s vice-chancellor is to quit amid a row over her salary – but she will enjoy a six-month paid sabbatical first and a “golden handshake” of £265,000. Prof Dame Glynis Breakwell, the highest paid vicechancellor in the country, will stand down in August.
THE University of Bath’s vice-chancellor is to quit amid a row over her salary – but she willf irst take a six-month paid sabbatical and a “golden handshake” of £265,000.
Professor Dame Glynis Breakwell, the highest-paid vice-chancellor in the country, faced repeated calls to resign in recent weeks but academic staff are understood to be furious about the terms of her “retirement”.
She will stand down next August, but will continue to paid her full salary for a further six months while she is on a sabbatical, and will have a car loan of £31,000 written off.
Dame Glynis, whose salary and benefits add up to £468,000, was accused earlier this year of presiding over a “cover-up” to prevent further details about her salary emerging.
The claims were examined by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) as part of its investigation into “governance practice in relation to the remuneration of senior staff ” at Bath University.
Hefce’s report, published last week, severely criticised the “flawed” and “poorly handled” meeting of the university’s court in February, which it said “damaged the reputation” of the institution.
Following the release, staff passed a vote of no confidence in the vice-chancellor and vowed to join students in protesting outside the court meeting tomorrow.
A source told The Daily Telegraph: “This was very much a case of jumping before she was pushed. It has become evident that staff and students have lost confidence and patience with senior management, this obviously has been done to head off what was going to happen on Thursday.” He added that staff think the terms of her retirement are “extraordinary” and amount to a “golden handshake”.
Lord Adonis, a Labour peer and former education minister whose complaints prompted the investigation, said: “It is a relief to all concerned that she is now leaving. Her position was clearly untenable, and had been for many months.”
“I think other vice-chancellors need to take careful note of the backlash against fat cat salaries.”
Andrew Murrison MP, who resigned his position on the university’s court earlier this year in protest at Dame Glynis’s salary, said that the announcement had a “whiff of inevitably”.
He said: “I hope it serves as an example to others in the public sector who think it is OK to have a package which runs to multiples of the Prime Minister.”
Announcing her retirement, Dame Glynis said: “I have served the university to the best of my ability and will continue to do so until the day I leave.”
Thomas Sheppard, chairman of the university’s governing body, said Dame Gylnis has “given outstanding service to the University of Bath, which has seen its national and international profile grow enormously.”