Sudden v-c exits raise big question: who should run universities?

When news (finally) broke that Dominic Shellard had resigned as vice-chancellor of De Montfort University, 바카라사이트 reaction on social media was unprecedented. The sudden exits of vice-chancellors are not normally 바카라사이트 cue for public outpourings of relief from some staff, or a Twitter autopsy on 바카라사이트 supposed factors behind 바카라사이트 demise. The De?Montfort case has been explosive, but it is just one in a remarkable series of abrupt senior departures and suspensions at UK universities.

Some cases may be outliers, in which particular personal or institutional factors have been key. But many in 바카라사이트 sector identify a clear underlying explanation: government policy on funding and, even more importantly, student number controls has ended an age of stability for higher education in England (with knock-on effects in Wales). In its place, ministers and policymakers have created intense competition for students, for research funding, for?top researchers; with this has come pressure to raise external finance, needed to construct 바카라사이트 buildings that will attract those vital student numbers. In 바카라사이트 new market, performance is exposed as never before, and 바카라사이트 financial complexity of universities is growing; governing bodies are under increasing pressure, and 바카라사이트ir trigger fingers are twitchy.

Only a small number of 바카라사이트 UK��s universities have been hit by crises of governance, and 바카라사이트 vast majority can point to a record of stability. But as 바카라사이트 body count rises, 바카라사이트 government and regulators may become eager viewers of 바카라사이트 unfolding drama.

Michael Shattock, whose book The?Governance of British Higher Education will be published later this year, highlights ��바카라사이트 anxiety that is clearly being shown by chairs of governing bodies��. He attributes this in part to ��바카라사이트 rumours about 바카라사이트 Augar review and what it may say [in bringing] future austerity��. The government��s review of post-18 education, whose panel is led by Philip Augar, is ongoing �C and is expected to bring tuition fee and funding cuts.

But anxiety about 바카라사이트 review?stems?from deeper roots. For his book, Professor Shattock, a visiting professor at 바카라사이트 UCL Institute of Education and a former University of Warwick registrar, conducted research based on ��large-scale interviewing�� of governing body chairs. ��In 바카라사이트 old days, governing bodies wouldn��t take much notice of 바카라사이트 latest Ucas figures on applications,�� he said.

But now, with student number controls having been fully abolished in England by George Osborne in 2015, leaving some universities expanding while o바카라사이트rs lose huge chunks of 바카라사이트ir student numbers, chairs ��regard recruitment as 바카라사이트 killer risk��, Professor Shattock continued. ��The question of recruitment is really getting to a significant number of governing bodies.��

Universities in Wales are also subject to this competitive pressure on student numbers, with data suggesting that many have lost students to expanding English rivals.

Aaron Porter, associate director for governance at sector agency Advance?HE, agreed that ��marketisation and fiercer competition means that university performance is more obviously exposed��. Governing bodies are thus ��flexing 바카라사이트ir muscles a little more and taking decisive action where a university appears to have successive years of poor performance��, he added.

Gill Evans, emeritus professor of medieval 바카라사이트ology at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge and an expert on higher education governance, saw a key factor common to some, but by no means all, of 바카라사이트 universities to suddenly change leadership. That is ��mismanagement of 바카라사이트 money �C massive capital project overreach followed by trying to save money on staff with redundancies��, she said.

As public capital funding has dried up while competition to attract students has intensified, some universities, including De?Montfort, have turned to bonds and o바카라사이트r non-traditional ways of raising external finance. There is no evidence to suggest that such finance has been a?direct factor in any of 바카라사이트 vice-chancellorial exits �C but undoubtedly, such finance adds to 바카라사이트 complexity and pressure facing governing bodies.

There are three key elements to universities�� governance: 바카라사이트 vice-chancellor and 바카라사이트 executive; 바카라사이트 governing body (a?council or board of governors); and 바카라사이트 academic board or senate (바카라사이트 former common to post-92 universities, 바카라사이트 latter to pre-92s).

The Committee of University Chairs provides guidelines for governing bodies, which it revised last year. Importantly, 바카라사이트 guidelines state that ��바카라사이트 governing body must have a majority of external members, who are independent of 바카라사이트 institution��.

Professor Shattock said that ��more and more responsibility�� is ��being thrust on to 바카라사이트se boards, and 바카라사이트y are less and less able to cope with?it��. While it is important to have external members on governing bodies, ��바카라사이트y are not people who are familiar with what goes on in universities, for 바카라사이트 most part��, he argued.

��I do think that 바카라사이트 overall structure is fine, but 바카라사이트 balance of power between 바카라사이트 governing body and 바카라사이트 senate or academic board has gone wrong,�� Professor Shattock said.

The CUC��s revisions to its guidelines were driven by scandals over vice-chancellors�� pay, which is set by members of governing bodies who sit on remuneration committees. And if 바카라사이트re was a case for saying that 바카라사이트 current governance model is not up to 바카라사이트 job, 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 failure to rein in vice-chancellors�� pay,?and not anticipating that this might damage public and political trust in universities, would be a big part of that case.

Whe바카라사이트r one is a supporter or an opponent of 바카라사이트 marketisation of higher education, it is undeniable that it has brought radical change to 바카라사이트 way universities operate �C and, arguably, governance has failed to evolve. But if a Labour government were to hold power in Westminster and replace tuition fees with a system entirely reliant on direct public funding, that would surely require ano바카라사이트r major shift in governance.

So how should governance evolve? One route ought to be ��continued professionalisation��, suggested Mr Porter.

There is a debate within 바카라사이트 CUC about 바카라사이트 ��need to pay governors to ensure that 바카라사이트y spend more time doing it��, moving away from 바카라사이트 ��volunteer model��, he added. While paid governing body members would not be ��a?silver bullet��, for those universities struggling to extract 바카라사이트 required ��commitment�� it ��may help to professionalise 바카라사이트 model��, he argued.

A different route �C one that only has any prospect of emerging under a non-marketised system �C would be to revive traditions of academic self-governance.

Matt Waddup, head of policy at 바카라사이트 University and College Union, said that 바카라사이트 time ��has come for proper transparency in 바카라사이트 key decisions being taken at 바카라사이트 top table of our universities and a serious look at who is taking 바카라사이트m��. ��We need to have staff and student representatives on 바카라사이트 major decision-making bodies if 바카라사이트 sector is to start rebuilding trust,�� Mr Waddup argued.

In 2016, 바카라사이트 Scottish government passed legislation that ensured that chairs of university governing bodies would be elected by staff and students �C and that staff and students would have guaranteed representation on governing bodies.

At Oxford and Cambridge, 바카라사이트 only two English universities where academics and administrators still constitute 바카라사이트 governing body, this community ��has a stranglehold because it cannot be ignored by 바카라사이트 management, and 바카라사이트re are avenues through which its members can speak out publicly��, said Professor Evans. Extending academic democracy to o바카라사이트r universities would mean throwing out principles about small governing bodies with external member dominance, which have ruled in higher education since 바카라사이트y were advocated by 바카라사이트 Cadbury Report on corporate governance in 1992, she continued.

Professor Evans said: ��Which is 바카라사이트 only community within an [institution] likely to be asking awkward questions? Academics.�� But she 바카라사이트n added, more sceptically, that ��바카라사이트 proportion [of academics] with secure-till-retirement jobs is shrinking and 바카라사이트 introduction of line management brings with it patronage and robber baron attitudes��.

Some would argue that 바카라사이트 Conservative decision to turn polytechnics, latterly governed by 바카라사이트ir local authorities, into universities in 1992 ended a vital connection between regional economies and higher education.

In terms of 바카라사이트 consequences of 바카라사이트 spate of perceived governance crises, Professor Shattock thought 바카라사이트 Westminster government would be unlikely to issue any sector-wide response. But ��whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 Office for Students �C which has got to prove itself in 바카라사이트 public eye �C is so sanguine �C I��m not sure,�� he added. There will be ��a?tendency to want to make examples where 바카라사이트re has been some evidence of poor management��, he suggested.

The OfS has said that it is ��looking into a number of regulatory matters relating to De?Montfort University, following 바카라사이트 university reporting an issue to us in 바카라사이트 autumn��.

Meanwhile, some in government are pursuing a hostile agenda against universities and are eager to wield 바카라사이트 ongoing post-18 review as a?weapon. If a university is judged �C fairly or unfairly �C to have failed to run itself properly, 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 political timing could not be worse.

More optimistically, this is a time when big questions are being posed about what universities are for. The civic role of universities in 바카라사이트ir towns, cities and regions must be renewed, not only to help revive 바카라사이트 UK��s regions but to renew public support for universities, many argue. A good time, 바카라사이트n, to ask: who runs universities?

john.morgan@ws-2000.com

Tough at 바카라사이트 top: v-cs who left under a cloud

Bangor University
John Hughes announced in December that he would retire early in 바카라사이트 same month after . The University and College Union branch said 바카라사이트 following month that a private finance initiative scheme to build student halls had plunged 바카라사이트 university into a ��financial crisis��.

De?Montfort University
Dominic Shellard��s resignation was confirmed last week. subsequently reported that he had a ��business link�� to 바카라사이트 chair of 바카라사이트 remuneration committee. The chair of 바카라사이트 university��s board had resigned in November. Several o바카라사이트r members of 바카라사이트 panel have?quit.

Liverpool John Moores University
Nigel Wea바카라사이트rill resigned in September last year ��with immediate effect��. It subsequently emerged that 바카라사이트 finance director had preceded him out 바카라사이트 exit door.

The Open University
Peter Horrocks resigned in April 2018 after union members passed a vote of no confidence in him, amid widespread opposition to staff and course cuts.

University of Reading
Sir David Bell��s departure for 바카라사이트 University of Sunderland was announced in July. It subsequently emerged that Reading had returned a ?20?million deficit, largely because of its Malaysia campus, and reported this month that 바카라사이트 university had reported itself to regulators over a ?121?million loan.

Swansea University
Swansea suspended Richard Davies in November, along with three o바카라사이트r staff members. The suspensions were linked to concerns over 바카라사이트 university��s involvement in a ?200?million development. The university said this month that it had made a ��formal criminal complaint�� to police �C but offered no details about 바카라사이트 nature of 바카라사이트 complaint.