The Yorkshire Post says: The university pay challenge '“ pay vice-chancellors by results

Her salary outstripped the £426,589 package that was paid last year to Sir Keith Burnett, this region’s highest earner, and who will step down from the University of Sheffield on his 65th birthday.

Universities should have autonomy over staff terms and conditions – the average pay of Yorkshire’s 10 vice-chancellors is £253,000 – and Sir Keith has been at the helm for over 10 years.

Furthermore, this world-renowned academic, a self-made man, has not just brought outstanding leadership to Sheffield; he’s been instrumental in the growth of transformative projects like the cutting-edge Advanced Manufacturing Park and been a member of countless Government-led trade trips to emerging economies like China. His ambassadorial qualities should, therefore, be given due recognition.

That said, Sir Keith’s salary should not be regarded as the ‘going rate’ when his successor is recruited. Even the University of Sheffield would contend that such a salary is unsustainable – or unjustifiable when the issue of student tuition fees remains so controversial.

Yet, if the very best leaders are to be attracted to Yorkshire to play a key role in the future growth of the wider economy, the package will need to be competitive. And, while there’s now far greater transparency over university pay, perhaps one way forward is for incentivised salaries that reward those vice-chancellors based on the percentage of graduates who gain jobs after completing their studies – the very purpose of higher education. After all, universities are not just centres of academic excellence – the very best are also major drivers of economic growth.