Gloucestershire vice-chancellor steps down

Well, it seems that what Paul Bowler had said was true and is now being realised. The world now knows the truth, that Patricia Broadfoot was responsible for the deteriorating financial state at Gloucestershire with the shambles of the London Campus expansion, chasing a ridiculous speculative £40 million excursion into Blackfriars and no financial controls.
It is widely known amongst staff that Paul Bowler had refused to make staff redundant while Patricia Broadfoot remained in post.
Staff would welcome Paul Bowler back to let him get on with the job he was brought in to do, return Gloucestershire to financial stability before it is too late.

Concerned staff at UoG

With support like that, might I suggest you got what you deserved.
A little clarification might also be in order. The London Campus expansion was well down the road when Broadfoot took office, so far so that pulling out may not have been an option. I also understand that it was somewhat to the east of Blackfriars. That she was CEO when it fell apart means that she has to take responsibility. Might I suggest that by standing down she has done that. As for redundancies, well she's damned if she does and damned if she doesn't. If she had, it would have been her fault/decision. That she didn't, it was Bowlers decision and he refused as long as she was in office. Given that any decision on redundancy is the responsibility of the Governors we can take that piece of speculation with a large pinch of salt. If Bowler really wanted to make staff redundant are you sure you want him back?

If taking the rap for something means staying on full pay for months in an 'ambassadorial' role followed by full pension then I am happy to take the blame !!!

This is yet another example of a poor quality VC abandoning a university having done irreparable damage cf. Paul Curran at Bournemouth University. Many of the redundancies at universities throughout the country have more to do with their financial mismanagement than HEFCE cuts.

"The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in our stars, but in ourselves."

Another overpaid university "leader" bites the dust, hooray! But one thing is for sure - she won't be queuing up at the jobcentre, but probably walk into another vastly paid and vastly overrated job.

How many Vice Chancellors stepping down does it take to smash a light-bulb? I don't know, but the light of Higher Education is much dimmer than it should be at present. Perhaps that's no suprise, given the recent failure to concentrate on higher learning and its innate qualities (supporting natural strengths, of so many sustainable types) but instead to think and act in short-term, instrumentalist ways, fearful of financial disaster while simultaneously producing it.

Professor Broadfoot didn't have to sign off on the disastrous East London project. It was virtually her first act. At least she cleared out some of the dead wood at the top though arguably too late.

Staff will remember her for her personal kindness and commitment to research, sustainability and innovative learning and teaching.

However, you need more than that to be an effective CEO.

Let’s hope Gloucestershire gets the CEO it deserves and needs.

The VC has presided over a period of unprecedented poor industrial relations and has attempted to circumvent the agreed policies, procedures and consultation channels in an attempt to steam roller changes that did not address the real cause of the financial crisis-namely debt. The University’s salary bill is average for the sector and below average for Universities with comparable turnovers. The University’s debt is the second highest in the sector and yet it is still planning to spend more on what they are terming a ‘reconfiguration’ of the faculties which will mean that the proceeds from the sale of the London Campus will not be used to reduce the debt. UCU is still seeking to get the University to act more responsibly over its debts. One expert on HE funding and finances has said ‘Heavy borrowing, high gearing and the cost of capital projects, seem chiefly to blame for UG’s poor financial position, rather than staff costs’

Someone needs to examine the role of the Church of England in this mess. It is not widely known that under existing statutes the VC at Gloucestershire must be a communicant of the Church of England. This requirement restricts the pool of potential leaders dramatically. 50% of Council members under current regulations are be drawn from the University's 'Council of Fellows' - some 200 high profile 'evangelical' Christians, many of whom are clearly mad and almost none of whom know anything about higher education.

Such restrictions are completely out of place in publicly funded higher education and almost certainly explain why someone with abolutely no qualifications for the job was appointed as VC.

Unless HEFCE step in to insist on the reform of this institution's outrageous governance arrangements the same thing will happen again and again. Singing in her local Church choir appears to have been Broadfoot's chief qualification for this job: how many well qualified potential applicants, who could have turned this place around, were ruled out on the grounds of religious belief?

Some facts for this debate to respond to statements above: The University’s Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association (public documents) may be found at http://resources.glos.ac.uk/council/index.cfm -----There are no statutes and no express requirement that the VC be a communicant of the Church of England. Appointment processes (the overall responsibility of Council) of all staff, including the senior staff, should be as required by law to avoid unfair discrimination and to promote equal opportunity. The make-up of the University Council is 18 people – 6 of whom are to be from the Fellows Body, the management of which is expressly defined. The University of Gloucestershire was the result of the merger of the Higher Education part of the Local Authority College and the College of St. Paul and St. Mary (which had a Church Foundation). The history of both of these colleges may be read at
http://resources.glos.ac.uk/choose/tradition.cfm and its timeline at http://www2.glos.ac.uk/ucu/uni-timeline.htm ------ Various accommodations had to be met at the time of merger including how the previous St. Paul and St. Mary trust statement on the teaching of religious education was incorporated, and provision of religious worship and instruction (chaplaincy). The University declares its vision as “‘to be acknowledged as an exemplar for innovation and sustainability in our education, our research and our partnerships. We will achieve this vision by building on the fundamental principles of learning, community and service, and by reflecting our agreed values which are built upon our civic and Christian foundations.” ------ The balancing of the secular and church backgrounds has needed careful management over the years to avoid misrepresentation as this can be a rather sensitive issue. It reflects two centuries of educational development in Gloucestershire from a time of great social change in the early 19th century. This is something of which to be proud and to be supported and protected. (I’m a retired member of staff of the University who was originally employed by the Local Authority college.)

Yet again UCU astounds us with its expertise!!
"The University’s debt is the second highest in the sector" At £31.5m, do you really mean that, or do you mean its gearing? You probably don't understand what gearing is, given the "One expert on HE funding and finances has said ‘Heavy borrowing, high gearing and the cost of capital projects," statement. Just for clarification, one possible consequence of heavy borrowing is high gearing, but by university standards £31.5m is not high borrowing.
Nice to see though that someons at least understands the role of the Governors in approving the London extension. Broadfoot came from an institution with a professional finance division and a Board of Governors who had a keen interest in financial matters. As this matter had been discussed several times by UG's Board before she arrived she was entitled to assume that if they were prepared to approve it, it had been given appropriate due diligence.

Patricia Broadfoot’s sudden departure was welcomed by staff who can now only hope she will be followed closely by her senior management team who are as responsible as she is for the current financial crisis.
Prof. Broadfoot has not left the University at a time when it is on the road to recovery. On the contrary she has left before events overtake her as she has left the University in a very precarious financial situation. It is unclear if the sale of London has happened as scheduled as this is vital to cashflow over the coming months.
The rush to implement an ill thought out Faculty structure only deflects and distracts from the real issues and will further increase costs at a time when consolidation of the financial situation is paramount. It was the deteriorating financial situation that forced Patricia Broadfoot out, it will be the same deteriorating financial situation that forces the remainder of the senior management team out.

The THE two weeks ago looked in detail at all university finances - Gloucestershire was missing from this by failing to make the accounts available. This reported the sector borrowing to annual income had gone up from 18% to 19% - Gloucestershire (32m/67m) stood at 48%. Patricia has been there 4 years and took 2-3 of those to get any understanding of the financial side, she may be an excellent academic, but for £202,000 a year an excellent business manager that understands finance as well is needed - clearly she didn't.

In the same THE review two weeks ago it is clear that the % staffing costs to income is below the average for the sector at Gloucestershire and yet the response seems to have been to cut staffing (operational costs) even more - this does not appear to be an issue, but the level of borrowing is.

If she is stopping her duties from now she should stop being paid from now as well!

In a previous article ("Overseas students are not just cash cows") I had commented that one of the problems facing H.E. is the rather incestuous practice of insisting that highly qualified academics from within the sector are given the senior management jobs. This is highly detrimental as academics are not managers of this standing - they are, by vocation, academics! How many times must it be revealed that yet another VC (Professor X or Y or Z) has proven not to be upto the job?
Until H.E looks beyond its own limited horizon and accepts that a doctorate does not confer the wisdom of Solomon upon its holder then H.E will continue to deteriorate like this. H.E. needs an infusion of non academic management to work alongside the academic managers. This means letting go of the belief that academics are splendidly capable of anything and accepting that non academics are more capable in certain areas - including senior management! Too much to hope for?

Stef - I don't think replacing one highly academic set of managers with one non-academic set is going to solve the problems. The problems are a total lack of legal or financial responsibility on the part of the existing management, and the utter functionless of most Boards of Trustees.

Damien, I think Stef is absolutely right, and to a certain extent you are right too. There isn't a lack of legal or financial responsibility as this should be clearly set out in the Institution's Statutes and in the Financial Memorandum with the Funding Council. There may be an issue in accepting legal and financial responsibility, and this is where non-academic management would help. There will be professional financial and legal staff within the Institution offering advice. The key is filtering that advice. Academics have difficulty in doing that because they are locked into such archaic practices as Academic Freedom, whatever that really means. A non academic is more likely to be able to see managing a University for what it is. Managing a multi million pound business with all the risks that come with it. If that is heresy to academics, then so be it, but it is these heretical practices that will help get the sector through the next 2 or 3 years.

See THE link article and commentary at http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=411063
' Gloucestershire v-c resigns amid conflicting views on financial health'

Dear Dick,

I have read your book 'The God Delusion' and I must say that I am convinced. I will henceforth resign my position as a member of the University of Gloucestershire Council and devote my life to evangelical atheism.

sharing of evidence that THES permits is to be welcomed. I cannot imagine the pressure that must be on them to close this blog.

We need to ensure that the students who marched today for their future education have universities that are worth going to.

That requires the staff of some of those universities (including mine) to speak out.

And for UCU to take action.