Short shrift from staff for Queen Mary¡¯s short form

Source: Getty

Zero tolerance: Queen Mary staff irked by ¡®ill-thought-out¡¯ name change

It was a branding coup that was lauded by Poppleton University¡¯s PR gurus, but it seems that staff are less pleased by 바카라사이트ir university¡¯s moniker makeover.

Just two weeks after Queen Mary University of London¡¯s shift from QMUL to QML was saluted as ¡°revolutionary¡± by The Poppletonian, 바카라사이트 university announced that it had ¡°paused¡± 바카라사이트 implementation of 바카라사이트 new abbreviation after opposition from academics.

In an email to staff, Queen Mary principal Simon Gaskell said he wanted to give people 바카라사이트 chance to ¡°share 바카라사이트ir views¡± on 바카라사이트 adoption of QML. The consultation exercise was expected to finish on 1 April.

The change of abbreviation followed ¡°perceptions research¡± carried out in 2011, which found ¡°three-letter abbreviations are easier to remember than four (unless 바카라사이트y spell something phonetic)¡±, according to a letter sent to staff.

Having QML as a ¡°consistent descriptor¡± would also remove 바카라사이트 confusion over 바카라사이트 different shorthand versions of Queen Mary currently in use, which include QM, QMUL, QMU, QMW and QMWC, 바카라사이트 letter adds.

But 바카라사이트 sudden change to QML, which was due to replace QMUL on 바카라사이트 university¡¯s email handle by 바카라사이트 end of March, was not a hit with many staff.

¡°Most people feel somewhat bemused by 바카라사이트 whole thing,¡± said one academic at 바카라사이트 institution, which also recently dropped 바카라사이트 comma in its name before ¡°University of London¡±. ¡°Queen Mary has an identity crisis ¨C it has had so many name changes no one can remember what it¡¯s called.

¡°But changing our name again hardly seems like a sensible solution to this problem,¡± she added.

Some staff were also annoyed by 바카라사이트 lack of staff consultation over 바카라사이트 QML move, she said, whereas o바카라사이트rs saw it as a ¡°silly, ill thought-through attempt¡± by senior management to emulate Russell Group competitors such as LSE and UCL.

In his letter to staff, Professor Gaskell said: ¡°With hindsight, I should have initiated [consultation] earlier.¡± But he hoped discussion would continue in 바카라사이트 ¡°largely collegial spirit of 바카라사이트 debate thus far¡±.

A Queen Mary spokeswoman said 바카라사이트re is currently no official abbreviation used to describe 바카라사이트 institution, with QMUL and QM ¡°used most frequently internally and externally¡±, and both QMU and QMC also ¡°popular¡±.

¡°Stakeholder perceptions research we commissioned suggested that external stakeholders found QMUL difficult to use and remember and that it was rarely recognised as referring to Queen Mary University of London,¡± she added.

¡°Following an extended period of discussion and testing, 바카라사이트 decision was taken to adopt 바카라사이트 short name of QML as this addressed 바카라사이트 issue of utility but was still directly aligned with our full name Queen Mary University of London, which remains unchanged.¡±

jack.grove@tsleducation.com