When I think of knighthoods, I think of national treasures. Sir David Attenborough. Dame Maggie Smith. Not Peter Mathieson. Our valiant vice-chancellor has been recognised in the New Year’s Honours list, and will thus receive a knighthood for “services to higher education”. Intriguing.
I am unable to disagree with His Majesty. Mathieson has contributed to higher education. However, I would not say that Mr Mathieson’s contribution has been all that positive. In 2021, the University had the sixth lowest student satisfaction in the UK – evidently, students are not happy. Staff members are striking because of the working conditions. It sounds like the only person who is happy is Mathieson. So well done, I guess? You have contributed to our education, albeit not in the way anyone wanted you to.
Whilst Mathieson is our current vice-chancellor, in October 2013 he was appointed vice-chancellor of the University of Hong Kong, and his tenure was not without its own issues. Whilst in position, the Chinese University of Hong Kong had removed pro-independence banners that students had placed, leading to students across Hong Kong staging protests. Universities placed a joint statement, which Mathieson was included in. The statement stated ‘Freedom of expression is not absolute… All universities undersigned agree that we do not support Hong Kong independence, which contravenes the Basic Law.’ Ultimately, this shows how Mathieson does not support movements when they do not align with his personal and political views. Whilst not supporting other peoples views, he also has made it clear that the views of students are not his priority. You would think being vice-chancellor, you would listen to students. Evidently not.
The next set of strikes are over 18 days between February and March. There is not one week in February that is not affected by industrial action – ultimately showing how staff are not happy with the conditions that are provided at this University. In 2018 Mathieson’s salary was £342,000. Oddly enough, I would doubt that he has any issues with the pay that he receives for the role he plays.
One of the issues that the UCU has is the cut to their pensions. Mathieson’s pension contributions are £42,000, which allows us to guess that he would be pretty happy with this, as well as feeling incredibly secure about his position at the University.
I am guessing that Peter is unaware that we are in the midst of a cost of living crisis. Considering how much electricity and gas his property has used (which is paid for by the University in addition to his salary), I can also assume that Peter has never had to sleep in a dressing gown and several pairs of socks, whilst checking the smart metre to ensure that the limited amount of heating that you have had on is not costing an astronomical amount. Undoubtedly, people reading this have also had similar experiences, which highlights just how out of touch Peter is.
Ultimately, there are many more deserving people that should receive recognition. Thank you to my tutors for all your help, even though you do not have the pay to recognise all your hard work. I recognise your service to higher education, rather than that of ‘Sir’ Mathieson.
“Peter Mathieson 2019” by Consulate General of Japan in Edinburgh is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
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How does ‘Sir’ Peter Mathieson sound?
When I think of knighthoods, I think of national treasures. Sir David Attenborough. Dame Maggie Smith. Not Peter Mathieson. Our valiant vice-chancellor has been recognised in the New Year’s Honours list, and will thus receive a knighthood for “services to higher education”. Intriguing.
I am unable to disagree with His Majesty. Mathieson has contributed to higher education. However, I would not say that Mr Mathieson’s contribution has been all that positive. In 2021, the University had the sixth lowest student satisfaction in the UK – evidently, students are not happy. Staff members are striking because of the working conditions. It sounds like the only person who is happy is Mathieson. So well done, I guess? You have contributed to our education, albeit not in the way anyone wanted you to.
Whilst Mathieson is our current vice-chancellor, in October 2013 he was appointed vice-chancellor of the University of Hong Kong, and his tenure was not without its own issues. Whilst in position, the Chinese University of Hong Kong had removed pro-independence banners that students had placed, leading to students across Hong Kong staging protests. Universities placed a joint statement, which Mathieson was included in. The statement stated ‘Freedom of expression is not absolute… All universities undersigned agree that we do not support Hong Kong independence, which contravenes the Basic Law.’ Ultimately, this shows how Mathieson does not support movements when they do not align with his personal and political views. Whilst not supporting other peoples views, he also has made it clear that the views of students are not his priority. You would think being vice-chancellor, you would listen to students. Evidently not.
The next set of strikes are over 18 days between February and March. There is not one week in February that is not affected by industrial action – ultimately showing how staff are not happy with the conditions that are provided at this University. In 2018 Mathieson’s salary was £342,000. Oddly enough, I would doubt that he has any issues with the pay that he receives for the role he plays.
One of the issues that the UCU has is the cut to their pensions. Mathieson’s pension contributions are £42,000, which allows us to guess that he would be pretty happy with this, as well as feeling incredibly secure about his position at the University.
I am guessing that Peter is unaware that we are in the midst of a cost of living crisis. Considering how much electricity and gas his property has used (which is paid for by the University in addition to his salary), I can also assume that Peter has never had to sleep in a dressing gown and several pairs of socks, whilst checking the smart metre to ensure that the limited amount of heating that you have had on is not costing an astronomical amount. Undoubtedly, people reading this have also had similar experiences, which highlights just how out of touch Peter is.
Ultimately, there are many more deserving people that should receive recognition. Thank you to my tutors for all your help, even though you do not have the pay to recognise all your hard work. I recognise your service to higher education, rather than that of ‘Sir’ Mathieson.
“Peter Mathieson 2019” by Consulate General of Japan in Edinburgh is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
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