Vice-Chancellors in trouble

[atrium]

I work for a uni and we got an email to say our VC has been suspended while allegations are investigated. I googled to see if there was an external announcement yet. There isn't, but I was interested to see many other recent headlines in my search results about VCs being suspended from other unis. It seems to be remarkably common. I wonder why? 🤷‍♀️

Exactly. Nothing to do with him being a VC, but his involvement in the Life Science and Wellness Village in Llanelli. Two other people were sacked and one resigned, it was a much bigger issue and investigated by Tarian, the Welsh regional cyber and economic crime unit. Once upon I time ago I helped design the original marketing booklet for the project - must ask a former colleague what is happening out at Delta Lakes these days.

Dundee is next on the list now:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjel3ng04q4o

Very depressing. Just also read the university carried out internal investigations on the email leaks . I expect london will do the same although my boss mentioned they know who it is and by the way also mentioned what you knew that the PVC is still off . What a fiasco!

I also work here, but have only just seen the thread. It does seem from the messaging alike the deputy VC that they are expecting things to take a long time to sort out and she's not going to be back any time soon.

It seems to be a very different situation from Greater Manchester.

It’s all very confusing. So the VC is off and the PVC finance is still off? That’s odd. the trustee chair of finance left and the new chair of board stepped down and the interim chair person is chairing. And the pvc governance is leaving I think someone said. What is going on!! Has everything ground to a halt?

The engine is still running and the orchestra is still playing, for the time being at least.

The DVC is very experienced at running Birkbeck, and knows UoL well, but he'll need all that knowledge, a listening ear, and his head held firmly out of the sand in order to understand the dynamics under the bonnet.

Where do you work, and why are you so interested in defending this VC?

I work at the University, and like anyone who's worked in any large organisation, I’m not surprised that when a senior leader steps down, things carry on. Our colleagues remain the same professional, collaborative, and decent people they’ve always been. Institutions aren’t made or broken by one individual.

I’d like to correct the suggestion that the union would have leaked this to the press. That’s not how the local branch operates. If anything, it’s more likely to have come from within the group who authored the letter. For context, this wasn’t a grassroots petition but a statement from senior staff who’ve clearly run out of patience. It’s arguably more surprising that it’s taken this long, given the frustrations that had been circulating well before the VC’s contract was renewed.

Thanks Gauntology. Yes, my information that it was circulated by the union was second hand, so may not be accurate. I'm not a union member.

Either way, my point was that the leaked letter with confidential details of the allegations (over and above what was circulated non-confidentially to all staff by HR), was in the possession of a medium to large group of people, not just individuals.

Fwiw, in case anyone is interested, I found the UoL Trustee Board minutes online: https://www.london.ac.uk/about/governance/board-trustees/minutes-board-trustees-meetings

The most recent minutes are from January, but there have been a couple more meetings since then - 26th March and 21st May. I expect they need to approve the minutes first, but as usual practice would be to do that in the next meeting, publication of the March minutes might be imminent.

Just seen your message. When is the next meeting? Has it all gone quiet? Maybe all on holiday. My boss hasn’t heard anything new or at least hasn’t mentioned. Has the finance person returned then . Maybe waiting.

The minutes give the dates of upcoming meetings.

I expect it will be quiet until the investigation concludes.

The PVC Finance is still out of office.

Really! That seems a long time. Is he/she ill or maybe also suspended?

Or maybe she’s the one who gave her letter to the times and now suspended!

There hasn't been any announcement about it.

I doubt it. She has been putting the VC's wishes into action for the last several years, so if maladministration is proven, she may be tarred with the same brush. I imagine that is stressful.

Between them, the VC and PVC Finance/Ops have been holding the purse strings and leading the internal governance.

The Evening Standard article says the VC "did not respond to the bullying allegations but stated that she had submitted her own complaint regarding “governance and staff issues,” according to the letter."

So there is finger pointing in more than one direction.

*To be clear, I mean the PVC Finance/Ops was leading the internal governance of the transformation programme.

There is a different PVC for more general internal Governance (he is the PVC who is leaving soon).

So both pro vice chancellors at Lincoln have gone suddenly within days of each other leaving both colleges without a head of college. One quit with immediate effect and the other is on unpaid gardening leave. Serious rumours of a very heated conversation between them and the vice chancellor in a meeting with disagreements over the direction the university is taking. The one who has left has put a very pointed post on LinkedIn about needing to do the right thing. 👀

@LincolnAcademic , yikes, that sounds unsettling.

In the meantime, at UoL, the DVC who has stepped in for the suspended VC is bringing energy and positivity to our all staff meetings, and is verbalising a pragmatic approach to developing the strategic direction, so hopefully that's a good sign.

@LincolnAcademic it's not really hit the news as far as I can see, but yes, that is unsettling!

That sounds good. So what about the pvc finance. Has she gone. Heard some problems according to my boss.

Not gone, no. She was just off on a on a long period of leave. I heard she was answering some emails though, so still in touch where needed, e.g. to do approvals.

Has this all gone away now. Seen nothing but been on hols.