Glynis breakwell biography

Former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bath

Dame Glynis Marie BreakwellDBE DL FRSA FAcSS (born West Bromwich, 26 July ) is a British social psychologist, researcher and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bath. In January she was listed in the Science Council's list of ' leading UK practising scientists'.^[1] Her tenure as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bath was marred by controversy over her remuneration, culminating in her dismissal.^[2]

Breakwell has been a Fellow of the British Psychological Society since and an Honorary Fellow since She is a chartered health psychologist and in was elected an Academician of the Academy of Social Sciences.^[3]

Breakwell was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the New Year Honours for services to higher education.^[4] She is also a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Somerset.^[5]

Early life and education

Breakwell was born on 26 July in West Bromwich, England.

She graduated from the University of Leicester with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in , the University of Strathclyde with a Master of Science (MSc) degree in , the University of Bristol with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in ^[6] Her doctoral thesis was titled "The mechanisms of social identity".^[7] Later, in , she was awarded a Doctor of Science (DSc) degree, a higher doctorate, by Nuffield College, Oxford.^[6]

In , she lived in a five-bedroom house at Lansdown Crescent.

After her dismissal from the Vice-Chancellorship, the house was then up for sale for £3,,^[8]

Academic career

• – Lecturer in social psychology, University of Bradford
• – Prize Fellow in social psychology, Nuffield College, Oxford
• BPS Young Social Psychologist Award
• Associate Fellow
• Fellow
• Myers Award
• – Member Social Psychology Section Committee (Chair –)
• MA (by special resolution) University of Oxford
• Honorary Fellow of the British Psychological Society
• Science Council list of leading UK practising Scientists

University of Surrey

• – Lecturer in social psychology
• – Reader
• – Professor of Psychology
• – Head of Department of Psychology
• – Pro Vice-Chancellor (Staff Development and Continuing Education)
• – Head of School of Human Sciences

University of Bath

• – Vice-Chancellor, University of Bath

Shandong University, China

Current appointments

Criticism of excessive pay

In , former education minister Lord Adonis called for an inquiry in the House of Lords as he criticised the "serious controversy" of salary increases awarded to Breakwell as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bath.

A pay rise of 11%, well above the % cap on pay for non-managerial staff across the higher education sector, took her yearly earnings to £, "Put all that together, and Glynis Breakwell is paid almost exactly half a million pounds, more than three times the prime minister's salary" said Lord Adonis.^[11]

It was also reported around the same time by a freedom of information request submitted by Bath councillor Joe Rayment that Breakwell claimed an extra £20, in domestic expenses despite living in a grace-and-favour property owned by the university.^[12][13][14]

In protest against Breakwell's pay package, four MPs resigned from the university court (advisory board) for the University of Bath: Darren Jones, Kerry McCarthy, David Drew, and Andrew Murrison.^[15] Critics speculated that the controversy surrounding Breakwell's salary had led to a decline in applications; the university suffered an % drop in applications from non-EU applicants for the entry, and an overall 6% drop against an % jump in applications for Bath's six closest competitors.^[16]

A freedom of information request by the Bath Chronicle revealed Breakwell secured a further % pay rise in the – academic year, raising her total wages and benefits to more than £,^[17] This led Adonis to refer to her pay rise – awarded whilst she herself was a member of the remuneration committee that set her salary – as a "disgrace" and to call for her to resign.

In response, Breakwell issued a statement saying "The university is committed to the highest standards of governance and treats very seriously any complaint made."^[17] Breakwell stepped down from the remuneration committee in October during a series of reforms described as "largely worthless" in a joint statement from unions.^[18] One month later, University of Bath students overwhelmingly passed a motion of no confidence in the university's governance in relation to Council and Remuneration committee.^[19][20]

Addressing the issue of her salary in a interview, Breakwell stated: "I'm worth itI've been in the job a long time and you do tend to get increases over time in most jobs.

Frankly, I don't think that there is anything I could say that would stop people saying that I earn too much and vice-chancellors earn too much, so I cannot engage in a conversation because I don't think there is a way through."^[21]

Response

On 28 November Breakwell announced that she would step down as vice-chancellor on 31 August , at the end of the –18 academic year, and take a fully paid sabbatical semester before formally retiring on 28 February ^[22][23] As part of the terms of her resignation, the university wrote off the interest-free loan for her £31, car which she kept.^[24]

Andrew Adonis called the terms of her resignation "outrageous" and that she was the worst case of "fat-cat pay", saying the sabbatical meant that she would be paid £, to go.^[25] A joint statement from trade unions representing staff at the University of Bath urged for Breakwell's resignation to be effective immediately, citing concerns over Breakwell continuing to exercise authority which generated a "climate of fear" on campus.^[26] On 16 January , the university court voted in favour for the immediate dismissal of Breakwell.^[27]

Publications

• Breakwell, Glynis; Rowett, Colin ().

• Professor Dame Glynis Breakwell - Professor of Psychology
• Carousel
• Breakwell, Glynis M (arie) - Encyclopedia.com
• (PDF) SOCIAL REPRESENTATIONS AND SOCIAL IDENTITY | Glynis ...

Social Work: The Social Psychological Approach. Van Nostrand Reinhold. ISBN&#;.

• Breakwell, Glynis (). The Quiet Rebel. Century. ISBN&#;.
• Breakwell, Glynis (). Coping with Threatened Identities.

• Glynis breakwell biography photos
• Glynis breakwell biography wife
• Glynis breakwell biography net worth

Sydney: Law Book Co of Australasia. ISBN&#;.

• Breakwell, Glynis (). Facing Physical Violence. Routledge. ISBN&#;.
• Breakwell, Glynis (). Interviewing (Problems in Practice). BPS Blackwell. ISBN&#;.
• Banks, Michael; Bates, Inge; Breakwell, Glynis; Bynner, John M.; Emler, Nicholas; Jamieson, Lynn; Roberts, Kenneth B.

  (). Careers and Identities. Open University Press. ISBN&#;.

• Breakwell, Glynis (). Social Psychology of Political and Economic Cognition. Academic Press Inc. ISBN&#;.
• Rowett, Colin; Breakwell, Glynis (). Managing Violence at Work. NFER-Nelson. ASIN&#;BLSXWM.
• Breakwell, Glynis ().

  Social Psychology of Identity and the Self Concept. Academic Press Inc. ISBN&#;.

• Breakwell, Glynis; Canter, David (). Empirical Approaches to Social Representations. Clarendon Press. ISBN&#;.
• Breakwell, Glynis; Millard, L. (). Basic Evaluation Methods: Analysing Performance, Practice and Procedure.

  John Wiley & Sons.

  Glynis breakwell biography Mr Vice-Chancellor: I have outlined an academic career of extraordinary breadth and impact. How do people cope with uncertainty? The Higher Education Funding Council for England, the industry regulator, announced an investigation into governance practices at the university. In response, Michael Bates, the minister of state at the department for international development, said he thought 'the house will have been in some state of shock' at the figures quoted.

  ISBN&#;.

• Breakwell, Glynis; Lyons, Evanthia (). Changing European Identities: Social Psychological Analyses of Social Change. Garland Science. ISBN&#;.
• Breakwell, Glynis (). Coping with Aggressive Behaviour (Personal and Professional Development). John Wiley & Sons. ISBN&#;.
• Breakwell, Glynis ().

  Doing Social Psychology Research. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN&#;.

• Breakwell, Glynis (). Doing Social Psychology Research. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN&#;.
• Breakwell, Glynis; Smith, Jonathan A.; Wright, Daniel B. (). Research Methods in Psychology (4&#;ed.). SAGE Publications Ltd.

  ISBN&#;.

• Breakwell, Glynis (). The Psychology of Risk (2&#;ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN&#;.
• Jaspal, Rusi; Breakwell, Glynis (). Identity Process Theory: Identity, Social Action and Social Change. Cambridge University Press. ISBN&#;.

References

External links