The University’s Vice-Chancellors have made an enormous contribution to Southampton’s success since it was established as a university in 1952.
The University undertook a rigorous international recruitment process in 2008 to find a leader to succeed Professor Sir William Wakeham on his retirement and take Southampton forward as a top international university.
“The University of Southampton is a leading UK teaching and research institution, with a very strong global reputation,” says Dame Valerie Strachan, Chair of the University Council. “It was important for us to appoint someone with a wide range of academic credentials, business acumen and international experience, together with the gravitas to engage at senior government level, locally, nationally and overseas; someone who also had the skills to lead and manage a £400million institution, with over 5000 permanent employees and 23,000 students, of whom 27 per cent are non-EU nationals.
“I believe that the Vice-Chancellor is appropriately and fairly remunerated, commensurate with his experience and the responsibilities of his post.”
Professor Don Nutbeam, previously Provost at the University of Sydney, which is ranked 50th in the world, was appointed in 2008. He took up his post the following year, with the following terms and conditions:
- Overall responsibility for delivering the University objectives, with an expectation of particular focus on targets and milestones relating to education and the student experience, research and enterprise, along with operational performance.
- Responsibility for responding effectively to changes in the financial, political and operational environment in which the University operates, and ensuring the continued confidence of the University community.
The Vice-Chancellor's salary package is agreed by the University's Senior Salaries Committee (SSC), which comprises up to five external members of the University's governing body, Council, and which is chaired by Dame Valerie Strachan.
In the financial year that ended 31 July 2011, the Vice-Chancellor's salary was £251,000, of which £30,000 was a one-off non-pensionable performance payment, with an additional pension contribution of £52,522.
Professor Nutbeam has not taken an increase in basic salary since it was first determined in 2008, in recognition of the economic climate and the challenges facing the higher education sector.
