Michael Spence (legal scholar)

The Reverend Michael Spence
Vice Chancellor,
In office 2008–present
Preceded by	Gavin Brown
Personal details
Born	(1962-01-10)10 January 1962
Residence(s)	Sydney, New South Wales
Alma mater	University of Sydney University of Oxford
Profession	Lawyer, priest
Website	University of Sydney

Michael J. Spence (born 10 January 1962) is an Australian academic and Anglican priest. Spence began as the 25th Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Sydney on 11 July 2008. On 19 September 2012, he was reappointed for a second five-year term expected to commence on 1 July 2013.

Early life and education

Spence is an alumnus of the University of Sydney, having graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree with first-class honours in English and Italian in 1985 and a Bachelor of Laws degree with honours in 1987. Before leaving for the University of Oxford in 1988 to undertake doctoral studies, Spence lectured in law at the university and also worked for the Australian Copyright Council.

At Oxford, Spence obtained his DPhil degree and continued to develop his career over the next 20 years. He became a fellow of St Catherine's College and a lecturer of the University of Oxford in 1992. He also obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Theology from the University of Oxford.

Career

During his time at Oxford, Spence worked in the field of intellectual property theory. His work includes articles and books on both intellectual property law and the law of obligations, with a critical focus on suggested ethical and economic justifications of the existing regimes. He remains a consultant to the London law firm Olswang and serves as a World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Arbitration and Mediation Centre Panelist. He has lectured on intellectual property-related topics around the world, and held a number of visiting appointments in Boston, Munich and Siena. He has twice been a Parsons Fellow at the Sydney Law School.

Spence served as head of the law faculty at the University of Oxford and was head of the Social Sciences Division, one of the four divisions which made up that university. He oversaw significant growth of research activity and funding in the social sciences and the strengthening of links between the social science departments and between them and the university more broadly.

One of Spence's priorities at Oxford was actively to encourage fundraising and substantial sponsorship from benefactors and corporate groups. He was a driving force behind the establishment and financial support of a number of Oxford's new research centres and institutes, such as the Oxford Centre for Educational Assessment and the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment. His responsibilities included oversight of some of the University of Oxford's most innovative research units, including the James Martin 21st Century School and the Oxford-Man Institute for Quantitative Finance.

As the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sydney, Spence has overseen development of the university's current strategic plan, following widespread consultation across the university community. During his time at Sydney, Spence has continued to prioritise philanthropic fundraising and, in May 2013, he launched a first major fundraising campaign, at that time the biggest fundraising drive of its kind in Australian higher education.

In 2012, Spence led efforts to cut the university's expenditure to address the financial impact of a slowdown in international student enrolments across Australia. This included redundancies of a number of university staff and faculty, though some at the university argued that the institution should cut back on building programs instead. Spence took home $A911,575.00 including a $167,432.00 bonus. He has been vice-chancellor during five strikes at Sydney, the most industrial action and staff unrest ever taken at the university in its 150 year history.

Personal life

Spence is an ordained Anglican priest, having trained for the priesthood at St Stephen's House, Oxford, and ministers part-time in this capacity. He is fluent in Latin, French and German.

Spence was married to an American, Beth, with whom he had five children all born in the United Kingdom.