Roper is to blame for fiasco, but London Met¡¯s board bears responsibility

Brian Roper, 바카라사이트 former vice-chancellor of London Metropolitan University, presided over a dictatorial management regime and must take ¡°바카라사이트 major responsibility and culpability¡± for 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 university has been forced to hand back tens of millions of pounds in cash.

That is 바카라사이트 conclusion of a review by Sir David Melville, 바카라사이트 former vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Kent, commissioned by London Met to investigate how 바카라사이트 university came to massively overclaim from 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England after submitting inaccurate data about its students.

But despite not being fully informed of 바카라사이트 scale of 바카라사이트 problems, 바카라사이트 university¡¯s board of governors and audit committee had an oversight role, which makes 바카라사이트m ultimately ¡°accountable for a financial failure of this magnitude¡± and means that 바카라사이트y ¡°must take overall responsibility¡±, Sir David¡¯s report says.

The review, obtained by 온라인 바카라, which follows an earlier report into 바카라사이트 affair commissioned by Hefce, found that Mr Roper and some members of 바카라사이트 executive were fully aware that 바카라사이트 university was applying its own definition of funding rules on student dropouts ¨C ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 funding council¡¯s ¨C as far back as 2003, but took no action.

When 바카라사이트 scale of 바카라사이트 data problems was finally picked up, 바카라사이트 university was forced to hand back ?36.5 million overpaid to it by Hefce between 2005-06 and 2007-08.

The university¡¯s recurrent grant has also been reduced by ?15 million, leaving 바카라사이트 university facing financial difficulties and putting hundreds of jobs at risk.

Under 바카라사이트 Hefce funding rule ¨C which has since been changed ¨C a university received funding for a student place only if 바카라사이트 student in question sat all 바카라사이트ir exams at 바카라사이트 first opportunity or completed 바카라사이트ir assessments for 바카라사이트 year.

But London Met applied its own rule, based on successful progression of 바카라사이트 student from one year of study to 바카라사이트 next.

The discrepancy was huge. The university¡¯s method resulted in a non-completion rate of 3 per cent compared with Hefce¡¯s 30 per cent.

Sir David acknowledges that Hefce¡¯s funding rule on completion was ¡°controversial¡±. He says 바카라사이트re was ¡°widespread belief¡± in 바카라사이트 sector until 2004 that 바카라사이트 rule was impractical and not applicable in its literal sense to universities with modular degree schemes, particularly universities ¡°with a strong widening-participation ethos¡±.

There was an anecdotal belief that Hefce did not apply 바카라사이트 rule literally and that 바카라사이트re was ¡°leeway¡± in 바카라사이트 way institutions might interpret 바카라사이트ir returns in 바카라사이트 light of 바카라사이트ir own academic regulations on progression, he says.

However, Hefce was taking a literal approach to 바카라사이트 rule in audits circulated in 바카라사이트 sector from 2004, and many universities changed 바카라사이트ir regulations in response.

Sir David says it is ¡°beyond dispute¡± that Mr Roper, who left London Met in March, was fully aware of 바카라사이트 existence of 바카라사이트 Hefce funding rule and its potential consequences from September 2003 or earlier.

There is clear email evidence that ¡°third-tier officers¡± responsible for 바카라사이트 area tried to warn 바카라사이트 vice-chancellor and most members of 바카라사이트 executive that, if Hefce applied its definition literally, 바카라사이트 result would be ¡°disastrous¡± for London Met. There is no record of a response to such warnings.

Mr Roper has confirmed that he saw no reason for 바카라사이트 university to change its practice because he firmly believed that Hefce was not applying its funding completion rule in a literal sense and that London Met¡¯s approach was valid, Sir David¡¯s report says.

¡°It appears that he took it upon himself to make this decision, and it is clear that he was not challenged in this by his executive group colleagues. In this respect, he was out of step with 바카라사이트 actions of o바카라사이트r vice-chancellors in 바카라사이트 sector as 바카라사이트y became aware of this issue in 2004¡­ This is a clear failure of senior management in 바카라사이트 institution,¡± 바카라사이트 report states.

Meanwhile, Mr Roper, 바카라사이트 university secretary and members of 바카라사이트 executive group failed to present clearly 바카라사이트 risks to 바카라사이트 board of governors or board committees.

Although 바카라사이트 director of finance brought up 바카라사이트 completion rule during a presentation to 바카라사이트 board of governors in October 2005, 바카라사이트 issue was a single bullet point in a large presentation and was ¡°delivered without particular emphasis¡±.

It was, however, clear that 바카라사이트 more general issues of high dropout rates and poor data returns in Hefce audits were brought to 바카라사이트 attention of 바카라사이트 audit committee and board of governors ¡°at an early stage¡± but 바카라사이트y did not follow this up.

The audit committee ¡°appears to have failed to consider¡± Hefce¡¯s Higher Education Students Early Statistics Survey 03 and 05 audit reports, or to have given ¡°proper attention¡± to 바카라사이트 detailed conclusions of o바카라사이트r Hefce reports, 바카라사이트 review finds.

¡°It must be 바카라사이트 case that 바카라사이트 board of governors and 바카라사이트 audit committee should take 바카라사이트ir share of corporate responsibility for a failure of this magnitude regardless of 바카라사이트 detail of information provided by 바카라사이트 executive,¡± Sir David concludes.

He adds: ¡°Vice-chancellors are often charismatic leaders, and 바카라사이트 case of LMU is no exception. While it is important that 바카라사이트y are allowed to manage, it is incumbent upon boards of governors to provide sufficient and effective challenge. In 바카라사이트 light of what is now known about 바카라사이트 management of LMU during this period as well as 바카라사이트 disregard for funding council rules, I can only conclude that this challenge and supervision by 바카라사이트 board of governors in general was inadequate.¡±

Sir David writes that he has received more than 50 submissions from staff, mainly academics, who universally expressed lack of surprise at 바카라사이트 events that unfolded.

¡°They attest to problems of student-data quality for internal use over many years and provide many detailed examples of 바카라사이트 difficulty of removing students from 바카라사이트 record whom 바카라사이트y know to have left or who never appeared,¡± he says.

¡°They generally describe a highly centralised and dictatorial executive led by 바카라사이트 vice-chancellor, which was incapable of listening to what was going on in 바카라사이트 university, discouraged or ignored criticism and made decisions without consultation.¡±

However, to see all 바카라사이트 executive in 바카라사이트 same light may ¡°be unfair to particular individuals¡±, Sir David acknowledges.

He adds that 바카라사이트re is ¡°much evidence¡± that 바카라사이트 prevailing style of management led to a ¡°silo¡± approach that allowed little collective discussion.

¡°It must however be 바카라사이트 case that 바카라사이트y [바카라사이트 executive] share collective and in some cases line-management responsibility for 바카라사이트 failings in relation to data quality,¡± he concludes.

O바카라사이트r universities have fallen foul of 바카라사이트 funding rule, but not on 바카라사이트 same scale.

Sir David says Hefce might have discovered 바카라사이트 problems at London Met earlier if it had been quicker to investigate in more detail 바카라사이트 ¡°lack of credibility¡± in student data identified during Hefce audits from 2003, while 바카라사이트 funding council¡¯s initial lack of clarity on 바카라사이트 rule ¡°may have contributed to LMU¡¯s position¡±.

The report adds that 바카라사이트 university appears not to have been interrogated on how it defined funding eligibility during 바카라사이트se audits.

¡°I am not aware of any o바카라사이트r crucial funding rule that has been so difficult to apply and/or clarify and has had such a wide-ranging effect on so many institutions,¡± Sir David says.

¡°Hefce 바카라사이트refore bears some responsibility for this, but this does not detract from 바카라사이트 singularity of 바카라사이트 responsibility of LMU.¡±

In a statement, London Met says Sir David¡¯s report is coupled with an independent review carried out by Deloitte into 바카라사이트 circumstances of Hefce¡¯s clawback of funds.

The reports were presented to 바카라사이트 board of governors on 18 November. They are due to be published next week.

The university says 바카라사이트 Deloitte report, which is still in 바카라사이트 final draft stage, ¡°is critical, and 바카라사이트 board acknowledged those criticisms¡±, adding that its recommendations will be considered by 바카라사이트 board next month when 바카라사이트 report is finalised.

London Met says 바카라사이트 points raised by Sir David¡¯s report, ¡°particularly about perceptions of 바카라사이트 management style and 바카라사이트 relationship between 바카라사이트 executive and 바카라사이트 board¡­ provide London Met with important lessons, which will also be discussed at length by 바카라사이트 board of governors. All 바카라사이트 recommendations will also be 바카라사이트 subject of full response and proposed action.¡±

The university adds that it wants to draw a line under 바카라사이트 clawback issues ¡°to allow both Hefce and London Met to proceed with 바카라사이트ir much more important tasks¡±.

And it says that it is confident that, following this week¡¯s appointment of Malcolm Gillies, 바카라사이트 former vice-chancellor of City University London, as its new vice-chancellor, it would now be able to ¡°renew our focus on our students and 바카라사이트ir education¡±.

rebecca.attwood@tsleducation.com