Facing a staff revolt, university boss who spent £1k on his dog
A FAT-cat vice-chancellor who spent more than £1,000 of university money on his dog is facing mutiny from staff over job cuts.
Professor Max Lu, who earns £366,000 a year, claims lecturers need to be axed in a drive to make £15million in savings at the University of Surrey.
Yesterday, staff delivered a vote of no confidence in him and his executive board, while students were due to hold a similar poll.
Professor Lu is one of the highest-paid vice-chancellors in the UK and his lavish expenses have hit the headlines several times.
When he moved from Australia in 2016, the university paid £1,600 to bring his maltese dog, Oscar, as part of a £15,000 relocation expenses claim. In 2017, he used his university credit card to pay £2,610 for membership of the Athenaeum private members’ club in London, which he used to hold business meetings.
He now claims the university must make savings because of ‘ unprecedented pressures’, including Brexit and a possible reduction in tuition fees. In March, he announced staffing levels would be reduced and £5million could be saved by ‘not filling all our existing vacancies’.
He said at the time: ‘Some of the main financial challenges include reduced income due to Brexit and an ever more competitive student recruitment environment, significantly increasing pension costs and a national review of tuition fee levels.’
A government- commissioned review, led by Philip Augar, is expected to recommend a reduction in tuition fees to £7,500.
Yesterday, members of the University and College Union (UCU) held a ballot over the changes in which 96 per cent said they had no confidence in the vice-chancellor and the board.
The union said Professor Lu wrongly viewed staff as a ‘cost rather than an asset’. The union has demanded an assurance that no staff will be compulsorily dismissed and that no staff on a fixed-term or hourly-paid contract suffer a drop in hours.
UCU regional official Michael Moran said: ‘We want a full transparent examination of the university’s case and we want assurances in place now to remove the spectre of uncertainty hanging over staff.’
It comes amid a crisis in the sector as vice- chancellors continue to take vast salaries while some staff struggle to get by.
The Government has called on universities to contain their soaring pay but ultimately institutions are independent and make their own decisions.
A spokesman for the university said: ‘Like many universities, we face significant challenges which mean we have had to make difficult decisions to save money.
‘However, we have now achieved the required savings target of £15million and have placed the university on a much more secure footing. As such, we have no plans for compulsory redundancies at this time. We are committed to continuing to work with all staff, students and unions to build an even better university.’
‘Spectre of uncertainty’