Salary of Next Principal & Dialogue between SRC and Court

Introduction 

This motion calls on the university Court, in particular its Remuneration Committee, to consider the use of the Public Sector Pay Policy (PSPP) for Chief Executives at setting the salary of the new Principal.

The technical guide would imply a figure no more than £200,000 for the first year the new Principal is appointed. https://www.gov.scot/publications/public-sector-pay-policy-2024-25-technical-guide-update-chief-executive-fr

The Remuneration Committee will propose terms and conditions for the new Principal. The University Court as a whole has final decision.

The new Principal is likely to be appointed in 2026.

The motion falls within a charitable objective for the student association:

“Promote and advance citizenship amongst the membership through democratic structures for student representation within the Association, the University, associated organisations, and society in general.” [https://oscr-docs.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/d0130-dusa-final-accounts-ye2023-signed-redacted-c6242ead-c706-ef11-9f89-6045bd0b2562.pdf page 6]

General information 

As a publicly-funded autonomous organisation, serving the public good, it is appropriate for the Court to consider a range of factors in securing a new Principal. This includes presenting a salary that will attract a suitable candidate. During the Chair of Court hustings, the issue of remuneration was raised, generating an interesting discussion.

The former Principal Ian Gillespie’s final salary was £300,000. This meant when he left, he was able to claim £150,000 for his termination. The salary and terms of Shane O’Neill, the interim Principal following Gillespie’s ejection, are not public to the best of my knowledge, but are likely similar. The current interim Principal was paid between £225,000 and £235,000 per annum for his initial contract. If this has changed since his re-appointment it is not public. [https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/salary_of_interim_principal]

While it is appropriate to set a fair salary for work, a high salary is no guarantee of attracting the right people. The last Principal of the university not to resign in disgrace was Sir Pete Downes who led UoD from 2009-2018.

No Scottish university currently uses the PSPP for CE to decide the salary of their Principal. There is no bar to doing so from the Government’s perspective.

The University will correctly point out that it is an autonomous organisation that has its own procedures to decide the appropriate salary for the Principal. This motion encourages the Court, including the members of the Remuneration Committee, to consider the use of the PSPP framework.

While the amount of money this would save the University is relatively minor for their overall budget, this would send a clear signal to attract the right person for the role and signal Dundee’s respect for the multi-million pound emergency funding it has received from taxpayers through the Scottish Funding Council.

The motion encourages a constructive, creative and ongoing dialogue between the student body, the university Court as a whole and particularly to our new Chair of Court Esther Roberton.

The DUSA President emailed the chair of the Remuneration Committee, Alan Bainbridge, on 17^th November asking if the committee had considered the issue. As of writing at 9pm on 30^th November, no reply has been given.

The Scottish Funding Council has published its clear conditions regarding engagement with students. They can be found in the appendix. This motion is a step on this journey towards meaningful collaboration, without which the university cannot guarantee necessary funding.

Conclusion + Motion

1) SRC declares that issue of the next Principal’s salary, while minor in budgeting terms, is totemic in importance and an opportunity to demonstrate a clear break.

2) SRC affirms the importance of autonomous and respectful decision making for the University; simultaneously, it acknowledges the essential funding from the taxpayer, both normal and emergency, that underpin the University’s commitment to the common good.

3) Accordingly, SRC requests to Court, in particular its Remuneration Committee, to consider the use of the Public Sector Pay Policy for Chief Executives in appointing the next Principal.

4) SRC welcomes a dialogue with Court members, in particular the new Chair of Court Esther Robertson.

5) SRC notes the development of an Engagement Plan, as mandated by the Scottish Funding Council. SRC welcomes a maximum of student input into both the development and delivery of the plan.

6) SRC Chair to write to the relevant people to inform them of this motion and next steps.

Legacy Timeline 

We do not know when the next Principal will be appointed precisely but it will likely be in 2026. The two student members of Court can report back to SRC with developments.

Appendix:

Engagement Strategy

47. UoD must prepare a strategy setting out UoD’s process for identifying, engaging

with, and responding to the reasonable views and contributions from relevant

constituents across UoD (“the Engagement Strategy”).

48. The Engagement Strategy must:

(a) be prepared by 31 December 2025;

(b) provide a framework to evidence that appropriate and specific engagement

has taken place with appropriate milestones and key performance indicators;

(c) reflect, and have standards based on the engagement framework based on

the National Standards for Community Engagement (set out in Appendix (iv));

and

(d) set out the role that this framework has in shaping and building

understanding of the Academic Operating Model, the Structure Change

Implementation Plan, the Strategy to Recovery, and the Longer-Term

Strategy.

49. UoD must, on request by SFC, provide evidence of meaningful engagement and clear

information about how decisions have been arrived at, including the impact that the

Engagement Strategy has had on decision making.

https://www.sfc.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Board-Approved-Conditions.pdf