The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Debra Humphris, leads a large and complex organisation with c2,400 staff and some 18,000 students across four campuses that generates an estimated £700 million for the regional economy.
Professor Humphris’ annual salary is £255,183. Her pay is well below the sector average for institutional heads and her remuneration package does not include a range of benefits available to senior staff at other universities (eg free accommodation). She does not take the pension contribution and personal car allowance to which she is entitled.
Since arriving at the university, Professor Humphris has taken the same, or a lower, annual salary increase when compared to the general pay increase awarded to all other staff at the university, and has waived her contractual right to a performance bonus, instead using this money to support staff and student-related activities across the university.
The Vice-Chancellor’s personal philanthropic giving to the university last year (2021-22) totalled £1,300 (and since taking up tenure as Vice-Chancellor totals almost £92,000).
This related to:
- £800 in support of students experiencing financial hardship.
- £500 in support of an annual student prize.
The university’s Remuneration Committee, made up of members of the Board of Governors, sets the Vice-Chancellor’s salary in line with the ACEVO Good Pay Guide, ensuring that remuneration levels are linked to a regular and objective system of performance appraisal and benchmarked against comparable roles.