Scottish university boss called for senior staff to be 'rewarded' before his £119,000 pay rise was approved

It was revealed in January that the pay of Stirling University’s long-serving boss, Sir Gerry McCormac, had rocketed from £295,000 in 2022 to £414,000 last year.

It makes him not only the best paid principal in Scotland, but also one of the highest paid in the UK, with Sir Gerry earning a basic salary that is more than that of the vice chancellors of either Oxford or Cambridge universities.

Sir Gerry’s salary went up two years in a row, from £295,000 to £363,000, a 23 per cent increase, and then from £363,000 to £414,000, a 14 per cent increase.

Decisions on pay are made by university remuneration committees, and The Scotsman used freedom of information (FOI) laws to ask for the minutes of these meetings at Stirling.

They show that Sir Gerry was initially in attendance at both the meetings in 2022 and 2023 when his salary hikes were agreed, although he left the room when it came to the discussion relating to his pay.

Earlier in the meeting in June 2022, however, he had recommended pay rises for other senior managers.

The minute said: “The principal and vice-chancellor introduced his report and highlighted the importance of recognising and rewarding senior staff following a two-year suspension of the process (as part of a considered approach to cost control during the COVID-19 pandemic).”

Later, after Sir Gerry left the meeting, the committee considered the principal’s pay.

Members heard reports from the chair of court and the executive director of HR, before agreeing the pay uplift for 2022/23.

“The committee agreed that the report reflected outstanding performance in what had been an unprecedented period. The committee acknowledged the exceptional leadership provided by the principal and vice-chancellor that had enabled the university to realise remarkable achievements, growth and progress across all core activities,” the minute said.

One year later, in June 2023, the minutes show there was a similar discussion.

In his report, Sir Gerry again highlighted “the importance of recognising and rewarding senior staff who had demonstrated outstanding contribution during a continuing period of growth at the university”.

Subsequently, he left the room and the committee discussed his pay, after hearing a report.

“The committee agreed that the report reflected outstanding performance during what had been a significant period of growth for the university,” a minute said.

A salary uplift was agreed for 2023/24 in line with “the exceptional performance”.

In June 2024, Sir Gerry made no recommendations for pay increases for the senior managers, citing “the significant and ongoing financial challenges affecting the sector.”

A spokesperson for the University of Stirling said: "The minutes quoted clearly relate to an agenda item focused on recognition for senior staff across the university, during which the principal was invited to present on the contributions of those colleagues.

“To be clear, the principal's remuneration was not part of that discussion and to conflate agenda items is wholly misleading.

“The principal does not participate in the process nor is he present for discussions related to his remuneration, which is determined by the committee."