“Connor. It’s definitely Connor” – just 16% of students know who vice-chancellor Paul Curran actually is
Just 16 per cent of students know who City’s vice-chancellor is – and some people think he’s called Charlotte.
In a straw poll conducted by The Square, only eight of the 50 students quizzed could successfully name Professor Paul Curran as VC.
However, even more perplexing were a few of the names suggested by some of the students.
“Connor. It’s definitely Connor,” one student said rather confidently.
“Unless my eyes have been deceiving me, I think I’ve seen him take the occasional stroll around the College Building and he definitely looks like a Connor to me.
“I’ve also seen several pictures of him in the university handbooks and he looks like a bitter man. I expect more from him than a handshake at graduation,” added the psychology student.
Apart from the usual “I don’t knows”, a few students suggested typically regal names such as Charles and George.
Another guessed Charlotte, saying that the role of VC is “fit for a queen”.
Some students guessed typically regal names such as George
An accounting and finance student from Cass made this assessment: “I don’t know his name and quite frankly I don’t care, but I think City does a good job of hiding the hierarchy and any secretive information about them which is why many students will not have a clue about who the vice-chancellor is. So can you really blame us?”
The student continued: “He never shows his face, he never says hello, I guess he just lurks in the shadows.”
Curran earns a whopping £1,000 per day as vice-chancellor, adding up to £280,000 each year.
His salary comes with a grace-and-favour luxury terraced house in Myddelton Square worth approximately £2.5 million.
After succeeding Professor Julius Weinberg in August 2010 he earned a staggering £306,000 during his first 11 months in the job – enough to fund 34 years of undergraduate study at university.
The salary was up 35 per cent from the £239,000 paid the previous year to Weinberg and was more than £75,000 higher than that of his counterpart at the prestigious Cambridge University.
During The Square‘s survey, one student became increasingly agitated after hearing the title ‘vice-chancellor’.
He said: “You think this guy would show an interest in the students that pay his wages, instead he just sits behind a desk and counts his earnings while we rely on loans to make ends meet.What a load of bullocks.
“If he was a real man he would actually support us in any way that he could and make life easier for us so we could concentrate solely on studies and perform at our very best. That would be money well earned,” the student added furiously.
It seems as though many students are bewildered by the elusiveness of our distance-running vice-chancellor.
After all, he is only tied down to two public appearances in the academic year – the first day of Freshers’ Week and graduation.
