Michael Spence confirmed for second term as Provost

We take stock by reviewing the biggest scandals of Dr Spence's first term as UCL Provost
Lola Davies
Michael Spence
Long live the Provost. Photograph by Mary Hinkley via UCL Imagestore

The President and Provost’s reign was extended to 2031 by unanimous approval of the University’s highest decision-making body last month.

Dr Michael Spence, 62, replaced Sir Michael Arthur as UCL Provost in 2021. The decision will see him remain in the post until at least August 2031.

Spence previously served as Vice-Chancellor at the University of Sydney where he faced a vote of no confidence by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences following accusations that he had blown the university’s budget on extravagant building projects, resulting in 340 staff cuts.

The Chair of UCL’s Council Victor Chu said: “[Dr Spence] has demonstrated exemplary leadership which I know will continue at this important time for the sector and as we head towards our bicentennial year.”

But what has this “exemplary leadership” looked like in the past three years, and what does the future hold for UCL?

The Stonewall scandal

One of Spence’s first acts as UCL Provost was to pick a fight with the LGBTQ+ community.

In 2021, his decision to withdraw UCL from Stonewall, a UK-based LGBTQ+ rights charity and the largest of its kind in Europe, amassed significant opposition from students and staff.

He said at the time that the University’s membership to Stonewall limited academic freedom of expression on sex and gender identity.

But readers may be forgiven for thinking UCL’s departure had a distinctly TERF-y flavour, given the rest of the Provost’s questionable extracurricular ties.

Earlier this year, The Cheese Grater reported on Spence’s role as trustee of the Christian missionary group Mercy Ships, whose code of conduct prohibits all forms of “sexual immorality”, including extramarital sex and homosexuality.

While he was Vice-Chancellor at Sydney, Spence also refused to publicly support the Australian government’s same-sex marriage bill in 2017.

Obsession with vanity projects

Back in Sydney, Spence was accused of blowing the university’s budget on vanity projects, including a AUD$385m (£256m, inflation adjusted) obesity research centre, resulting in 340 job losses.

It seems the Provost is keen to make a similar mark on UCL. His tenure had seen almost endless staff strikes over pay and conditions, all the while embarking on shiny infrastructure projects, including the £483m UCL East campus and an as-yet-undisclosed amount on the Main Quad redevelopment ahead of UCL’s 200th anniversary in 2026.

Plans for the Bicentenary celebrations include the “eviction” of UCL’s much loved Art Museum and the year-long closure of the Main Quad and the Cloisters until January 2026… that is, if nothing goes wrong.

Disagreeing Well on genocide

Most recently, the Provost’s declared love of free speech, despite his “Disagreeing Well” crusade, did not appear to line up with his actions when it came to Israeli war crimes in Palestine.

Last summer, Spence faced heavy criticism for the treatment of student activists who maintained a 100-days-long encampment protesting UCL’s complicity in Israel’s continued assault on Palestine.

Alongside a myriad of other ways in which UCL failed to protect its contracted security staff in the past, the Provost also sat idly as the University’s security subcontractor cracked down on small acts of solidarity by security staff working at the pro-Palestine encampment.

A proper day's pay... of half a million

The Provost was revealed to be the third-highest paid university boss in the UK earlier this year, earning £509,849 in 2022-23.

But it is hard to see exactly what work he is doing which justifies his huge wage. While UCL was named the Sunday Times University of the Year in 2024, its place in the Times Higher Education world ranking fell from 16th to 22nd since Spence became Provost.

Alas, the defining feature of this University administration is mediocrity.

This article appeared in CG89