Private club perks for university principals

IT WAS once the exclusively male domain of Cabinet ministers and peers of the realm, but two of Scotland’s highly paid female university principals are now among those enjoying the elegant surroundings of one of London’s top private members’ clubs.

Principals Louise Richardson, of St Andrews University, and Dame Joan Stringer, of Edinburgh Napier, enjoy membership of the £1,000-a-year Athenaeum Club paid for by their institutions.

Their membership is an example of just one of the many perks enjoyed by Scotland’s university principals, some of whom earn up to £250,000 a year.

Details uncovered by The Scotsman using Freedom of Information laws show the heads of many of Scotland’s universities benefit from free private residences as well as paid-for access to a string of exclusive clubs and societies.

The information emerged after thousands of students took part in protests in London earlier this week over higher rate tuition fees, which will see English, Northern Irish and Welsh undergraduates pay as much as £36,000 for a four-year degree at Scottish universities.

Professor Richardson, who earns £225,000 a year, and Professor Stringer, who is paid £202,000, both have their memberships of the Athenaeum Club in Pall Mall paid for by their universities.

The club, whose past members include Walter Scott, Charles Dickens and Winston Churchill, only began accepting female members around ten years ago.

Elsewhere, Prof Jim McDonald, who earns £250,000 as the principal of Strathclyde University, has his £70-a-year membership to The Supper Club in Glasgow paid for by the university.

James M Fraser, principal of the University of the Highlands & Islands (UHI), sees his institution pay for the £325-a-year membership of The New Club in Edinburgh, as well as £325 to the Institute of Directors and £900 to the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI), despite earning £155,000.

The principals of Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews and Stirling all have residences provided by the university, the institutions confirmed.

Robin Parker, president of National Union of Students in Scotland, said: “It’s disgraceful that university principals are enjoying high salaries and exclusive club memberships in London while introducing high tuition fees for rest-of-UK students and pleading poverty to the Scottish Government back home.

“The public should be outraged that such perks and pay levels are maintained at a time when all areas of Scottish society are facing an economic squeeze. Universities are a public service primarily funded from the taxpayer, and principal’s pay and benefits should reflect that fact. Senior management teams need to seriously reconsider whether the money charged to students to attend their university could be better spent on improving access to students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“Unacceptably high salaries and membership to exclusive clubs is a good example of why the University Governance Review needs to ensure a strong student voice in governance. By including the voice of students at every stage, we can make certain that taxpayer’s money is spent improving access, not redecorating the club or paying extraordinary salaries.”

A spokesman for St Andrews University said membership of The Athenaeum provided Prof Richardson with a London base, saving the university money.

He said: “[The club] provides Prof Richardson with a base in London, subsidised accommodation, meeting rooms and associated facilities. The Athenaeum membership helps the university to save money – it represents exceptional value for facilities for which we would otherwise have to pay a considerable premium.

“Prof Richardson frequently has to be in London on university business and as part of our 600th anniversary fundraising campaign. In 2011, Prof Richardson has been to London on business on ten occasions, with an average stay of two to three days.

“The club membership allows her to cost-effectively host meetings with a range of key figures and potential donors. It is estimated that in 2011, the membership has allowed the university to save over £3,000 on standard London room rates.”

A spokesman for Edinburgh Napier said membership of the Athenaeum allowed the university to make “significant savings” on hotels, meeting rooms and other facilities when the principal is in London on business.

A spokeswoman for Universities Scotland added: “Since the recession, universities have moved to show restraint, shown in terms of senior pay increases. A recent comprehensive survey of all universities in Scotland showed principals’ salaries and that of their senior management teams had typically been frozen for at least the last year or more.

“A number of universities have principals’ residences but they are very much a working part of the university. The residences are used as a venue to host a range of guests from student bodies, to international visitors and potential funders.”