News & Views item - November 2006

 

 

Oxford Dons and Vice-Chancellor Square Off on Governance Issues. (November 8, 2006)

    Oxford's professors are preparing to challenge Vice-Chancellor John Hood over the plans to transform the way the university is run. The most contentious proposal would see business leaders, politicians and others not directly employed by the university take control of the council, a board of governors responsible for running the university thereby essentially ending hundreds of years of self-government.

 

Those in favour of the move have convinced Professor Hood that the changes are necessary in order for Oxford to gain a firmer financial footing -- without the changes they say, Oxford could not raise the money to compete with the world's leading universities, but critics claim the result would cede too much power to big business. A vote is scheduled for November 14, by Congregation, Oxford's ancient parliament.

 

"What we fear most is concentration of too much power in the hands of too few people," said Colin Thompson, a fellow at St Catherine's College, who, according to The Guardian fears that outsiders on the council will pass whatever the executive wants. "The council will ultimately hold the purse strings - whoever controls the purse strings, controls the show."

 

Susan Cooper, a professor of physics and leading opponent of the plans, concurs. She believes that people brought in from the corporate sector would lack the understanding "that academics need to be differently motivated to those in corporations".

 

In contrast David Womersley, professor of English at Oxford and one of the authors of the reforms, says, "In a sense these proposals have detonated a resentment that has been building up for 20 years. What they see as interference is not being left to get on with their job. Part of what lies behind the criticism of the white paper is a nostalgia of a world that we have lost. The notion that successful businessmen will start bossing us around is a fear that is not justified. Nobody wants to run Oxford like a business."

 

David Fletcher, secretary to the Committee of University Chairmen added, "It is about public confidence. Oxford are in a way bringing their arrangements in line with others."

 

In any event there is every indication that the dons view this as a showdown and that Professor Hood, a New Zealander who almost faced a revolt by the dons in February about his management style, if he loses, will be placed in an untenable position.