St Mary’s University Vice-Chancellor Takes Voluntary Pay Cut

The recently appointed Vice-Chancellor at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, Anthony McClaran has confirmed that he will take a voluntary pay cut of 20% in support of a range of measures to mitigate the increased financial pressure faced by the University during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chief Operating Officer, Jo Blunden, has also made a voluntary commitment to take a pay cut and all members of the Executive team have agreed to freeze their own pay increases and bonuses over the coming year. The decisions on executive pay restraint were confirmed at a recent meeting of the University’s Board of Governors.

St Mary’s has a positive underlying financial position, with a strong asset base. However, like all UK universities, plans have been made to ensure that the pressures of lost income due to COVID-19 can be weathered. In this context, with savings being made across the University, the senior team wanted to contribute personally to the efforts to focus resources as effectively as possible.

Among a package of measures designed to minimise the hardship faced by staff, St Mary’s has ensured that staff placed on furlough have had their salaries topped up to 100%.

The Vice-Chancellor said, “This has been a period of intense pressure for our staff and students, and not only financially. Extraordinary demands have necessarily been made to deliver teaching throughout lockdown and ensure a sustainable future. Our financial planning will underpin that sustainability but I, and my colleagues in the leadership team, also wanted to make a personal gesture of support to the overall effort at this time.”