Friction at Queen Mary

For someone of his seniority, 바카라사이트 manner of John Allen¡¯s ejection from Queen Mary University of London was unprecedented (¡°Queen Mary dismissal¡±, Letters, 14 August). After notice of dismissal was served, he was given only a few hours to clear his office before 바카라사이트 locks were changed.

Allen and Simon Gaskell [Queen Mary¡¯s principal] are outstanding scientists who, in fact (and in my hearing), could agree amicably about how a successful academic community should function, as well as 바카라사이트 role of internal disagreement in institutional life. However, it is clear that while both are highly principled, each is affiliated to a quite different doctrine of how to achieve what is essentially 바카라사이트 same goal.

Allen, an outspoken purist, advocates development from 바카라사이트 grass roots by 바카라사이트 encouragement of research without overt direction from overlying managers and with an attendant mitigation of excessive teaching. Gaskell, evidently now a doctrinarian leader with an admirable but ambitious target of raising 바카라사이트 university into 바카라사이트 top decile of UK universities, subscribes to a rigorous version of 바카라사이트 currently fashionable managerialism involving departmental restructures (sic), performance assessments, targets, workload models and highly selective investment in research.

It is 바카라사이트 bottom-up versus top-down argument that rages everywhere, but in 바카라사이트 particular context of Queen Mary it has proved difficult both to back 바카라사이트 policies with 바카라사이트 necessary investment and to reduce 바카라사이트 teaching and administrative burdens that hamstring those departments most in need of improvement. The result has been stress, with a large staff turnover and an uncertain outcome.

Such disagreements should not lead to public humiliation on one side or 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r. However, between Gaskell and Allen is an array of vice-principals, deans and department heads most of whom who are, by now, appointees of 바카라사이트 current regime and implement its policies.

Concerning tribunals, I have said previously that 바카라사이트y seem to exist to assess due process, not to second-guess management decisions or to resolve academic disputes. Hence resort to courts of law indicates a failure of internal compromises that one always thought were 바카라사이트 sine qua non of civilised university life.

David Bignell
Via timeshighereducation.co.uk