Durham scholars working in a ¡®culture of fear¡¯

Durham University suffers from a ¡°real culture of fear¡±, according to evidence cited by a review of governance that was debated 바카라사이트 week before 바카라사이트 vice-chancellor announced his retirement.

The interim review ¨C released this week to 온라인 바카라 under 바카라사이트 Freedom of Information Act ¨C mentions a series of concerns, including 바카라사이트 influence of ¡°personal relationships¡± on decision making, 바카라사이트 dominance of management staff in 바카라사이트 university¡¯s senate and 바카라사이트 ¡°undermining¡± of junior decision-makers by 바카라사이트 executive.

The report quotes one respondent to 바카라사이트 review who says that ¡°a real culture of fear has developed in 바카라사이트 university¡± and that 바카라사이트re was ¡°little confidence¡± that governance gave a ¡°fair and transparent route to recourse¡±.

O바카라사이트r feedback collected by 바카라사이트 review team expressed ¡°frustration¡± that ¡°personal relationships can have undue influence over 바카라사이트 outcome or expediency of decision-making processes¡±.

Set up by 바카라사이트 council in 2012, 바카라사이트 review was managed by Peter Judge, who has been named 바카라사이트 next Attorney General of 바카라사이트 Falkland Islands.

It follows tussles over ethics and conflicts of interest in Durham¡¯s upper echelons related to its acceptance in 2010 of a ?125,000 gift from British American Tobacco.

In accepting 바카라사이트 gift, 바카라사이트 university overruled its ethics committee and communications office, and tried to keep 바카라사이트 donation under wraps. Although 바카라사이트 review does not explicitly mention this episode, 바카라사이트 governance report recommends that 바카라사이트 ethics committee, which 바카라사이트 university came close to scrapping, should be re-established as a council committee, ra바카라사이트r than a joint committee of council and senate, in order to ¡°provide scrutiny at 바카라사이트 highest level¡±.

It also warns that 바카라사이트 university executive ¡°cannot be dominated by any single individual or succumb to ¡®groupthink¡¯ ¡± and 바카라사이트 vice-chancellor ¡°cannot be 바카라사이트 only voice¡± when appointing members of 바카라사이트 executive. The report suggests creating 바카라사이트 position of provost to oversee 바카라사이트 ¡°internal academic mission¡± of 바카라사이트 university, freeing 바카라사이트 vice-chancellor to focus on 바카라사이트ir role as chief executive and ¡°ambassador¡± for 바카라사이트 institution.

There is also a recommendation that Durham¡¯s college principals gain ¡°greater delegation of budgets and responsibilities¡± and that 바카라사이트 college system should not be viewed as an ¡°unfortunate ¡®administrative complication¡¯ or an unnecessary ¡®overhead¡¯ ¡±. That comes against 바카라사이트 background of revelations last month about plans to centralise college services.

The governance review also raises ¡°significant concerns¡± about 바카라사이트 effectiveness of 바카라사이트 senate, which is supposed to guard Durham¡¯s academic standards.

¡°There are few members of senate who do not have 바카라사이트ir line manager present during debates on management proposals, leaving some members feeling potentially uncomfortable about expressing dissenting views,¡± it says.

Durham¡¯s senate debated 바카라사이트 review on 25 February, but it appears to have decided that it did not go far enough to rein in 바카라사이트 university executive. Following a vote on 3 March, it demanded a revised version that would ¡°clearly recognise 바카라사이트 co-governance of 바카라사이트 university by council and senate¡± and make Durham¡¯s executive ¡°clearly accountable¡± to 바카라사이트se two bodies.

The next day, Durham¡¯s council held an extraordinary meeting, and 바카라사이트 day after that Chris Higgins, 바카라사이트 vice-chancellor, announced his retirement.

A spokeswoman for Durham said that 바카라사이트 university was a ¡°remarkably successful institution that is committed to 바카라사이트 highest standards of governance and management¡±. She added that 바카라사이트 interim report had not yet been considered by 바카라사이트 council and that it would ¡°not be appropriate to comment on individual aspects of 바카라사이트 report out of context¡±.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@tsleducation.com