A world-renowned artist who has painted the Queen, Princess Diana and Margaret Thatcher was commissioned by the London School of Economics to paint a portrait of Craig Calhoun, the director who quit a year early in 2016 after four years in the post.
The LSE declined to say how much it paid for the 40in by 30in painting, below, by June Mendoza but the artist would normally charge £13,000 for a portrait of this size, according to the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, of which she is a member.
The university also spent thousands of pounds on parties and gifts for Professor Calhoun, according to accounts obtained under freedom of information laws by London Student, a campaign group for those who study in the capital.
At the main reception held in the senior dining room of the Old Building on June 22 this year, £2,000 was spent on food and drink for guests, £100 on flowers and £97.12 on cloakroom staff.
To thank him for his service, the former director was given three gifts: a signature book at a cost of £1,052.40, a photo album at a cost of £352.50 and a photographic copy of his portrait.
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A spokesman for LSE told London Student that the main farewell reception “was attended by many members of the LSE community”. He added: “The event provided an opportunity for Professor Calhoun to acknowledge the hard work and contributions of the LSE community over the four years of his tenure. It is standard practice for LSE directors to have their portrait painted.”
Professor Calhoun was paid almost £1.7 million while in the job. His portrait has been hung in the Shaw Library
He and the LSE have been under intense scrutiny after the university was heavily criticised for its poor teaching in a government-backed study.
The Teaching Excellence Framework, which ranks universities on their quality of teaching, gave it a third-class bronze rating. Earlier this year students gave the Russell Group university a satisfaction score of 75 per cent, making it 155th in the country.
In an investigation conducted by The Times, students complained that they struggled to get hold of their tutors, received scant feedback and had classes routinely covered by PhD students.
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“The LSE is a research business with a degree factory on the side. Undergraduates are the poor relations here,” one politics student said.
During his tenure Professor Calhoun persuaded the governing board to spend £11 million on teaching and education, and set up LSE Life, an academic, personal and professional development centre for undergraduates.
He stepped down a year early because, colleagues said, he was frustrated with the slow pace of change.